A Treasury of Fairies' Tales
by Mnemosyne's Elegy
Summary: A collection of short stories about Gray and other characters. Current: Gray didn't mean to lie, not really, but he didn't exactly want to tell the truth either. He's talking in the present tense, but he's living in the past.
1. Hands Off

**Note: Creative title is creative. Yeah, I'm just going to start posting these before I hit the end of "Recon" and have to face the self-imposed ultimatum of whether to quit posting or not lol How are these different from the "Words"? Well, they aren't based on single-word prompts, obviously. (What, you actually _did_ figure that out on your own? Bunch of smarties, you guys.) These are more of little stories than just random snippets of things, relegated to a collection for one reason or another. This will be updated even more sporadically than "Words" after the first few, because I don't have as many written. I tend to put things here but then take them out because they stand on their own too well. But I've got a few.**

 **Most are going to involve Gray, obviously. (You figured that out too? You're on a roll!) But little scenarios that don't involve Gray might end up here too, because I'm not invested enough to turn them into fully fleshed-out standalones. Again, lots of genres. Lots of angst and hurt/comfort, a bit of humor and fluff, and buckets of friendship. BUCKETS, I tell you.**

* * *

 **Hands Off**

 _Being new to the guild, Gajeel has yet to learn that although Fairy Tail mages can get away with almost anything, there's one hard-and-fast rule when it comes to Natsu. Gray intends to set him straight._

* * *

Did Natsu really need another sparring partner? Probably not. Did he want one anyway? Hell yeah. You could never have too many people to beat up.

So when Gajeel made one mocking comment too many, Natsu was totally ready to take him on. It wasn't like there was really anything better to do, anyway. Gray was talking to Cana and was 'not interested in your dumbass antics right now, ash for brains'. And yeah, Fairy Tail was kind of a violent place and there was no shortage of brawlers to be found if Natsu really went looking, but Gajeel was presenting himself as an easy target, so why not?

A couple weeks ago, Natsu probably wouldn't have considered it. Well, he wouldn't have had a problem beating Gajeel up, but it wouldn't have been a friendly fight. Natsu's memory wasn't quite as bad as everyone seemed to assume, and he quite clearly remembered how the other dragon slayer had not only destroyed their guild hall but also injured a number of Fairy Tail mages, Team Shadowgear and Lucy most notably. Natsu wasn't usually one for holding grudges, but seeing Gajeel turn up and suddenly be a Fairy Tail member had been rather off-putting.

Still, Levy had said something about Gajeel being nice to her with something or other—it may or may not have had something to do with Laxus and possible death, but Natsu hadn't really paid much attention to the details—so it was all good now. The other dragon slayer was still an annoying metal-head, but most Fairy Tail members were annoying fools too, so he fit right in.

Given all that, Natsu felt justified in starting a fight.

"Take that back!" he growled, aiming a punch at Gajeel.

Apparently having no patience for silly hand-to-hand combat, the other dragon slayer went right for magic. A metal spike went shooting just to the left of Natsu's face.

"Yeah right, Salamander. You fairies sure are a dumb bunch."

"You're a fairy now too," Natsu pointed out, whacking Gajeel in the chest with a fireball.

Gajeel brushed off the attack and sent back one of his own. Of course, just because the dragon slayers were using fairly minor magic didn't mean that the rest of the guild wasn't annoyed. A few people were yelling at them to take it outside and not destroy the guild hall, but Natsu ignored them. Honestly, why was he always the one who got blamed for this stuff? Half the time the entire guild ended up joining in these fights, so he definitely wasn't the only one destroying everything.

"Whatever," Gajeel grumbled finally, apparently unable to come up with a way to save face. "I'm the best one you've got, anyway."

"Ha! You wish!"

Okay, so this wasn't quite as fun as fighting Gray or having a guild-wide knock-down, drag-out fight, but it was still pretty exhilarating. Maybe it was partly because it was cool to fight someone that he hadn't grown up fighting. Gajeel was still new and unpredictable. It wasn't like with Gray, where Natsu could easily fall into a familiar pattern and both boys had a pretty good idea of what the other was about to do. Natsu wasn't too familiar with Gajeel's pattern of fighting yet, and the metal dragon slayer used his magic in a seemingly erratic fashion to make it even more unpredictable. Natsu liked the thrill and excitement of it all.

A hunk of metal went smashing into his chest, and he grunted in pain as he slammed into the back wall. That kind of hurt. Just as well. He'd been fighting with the other guild members for so long that they all knew each other's limits and how much strength they could use before someone got hurt. But Natsu kind of liked it rough sometimes, and Gajeel definitely wasn't pulling his punches.

The two dragon slayers eyed each other warily, on guard as they circled and attacked. They weren't exactly friends, but weren't quite enemies anymore either. They were something in between, not sure where exactly they stood yet. Natsu had always found that fights were a great way to figure out boundaries and learn about your opponent, though, so maybe this had been a long time coming.

"Ha!" he crowed as he scored a direct hit. "Gotcha!"

Unfortunately, his celebration was premature and distracted him just enough for Gajeel to whip around and slam him into the wall again. Natsu winced as his ribs groaned in protest, and began working on wriggling his way out from behind the metal beam pinning him.

His eye caught on something white falling through the air, and he realized that his scarf had gotten knocked loose during the attack. Shit. He couldn't tear his gaze away, even as he continued working himself free. He needed it back _right now_.

"Well, would you look at that?" Gajeel stepped over and picked up the scarf.

Natsu tore his gaze away from it long enough to glower up at the other dragon slayer. "Give it back."

He wasn't joking around anymore. He was totally serious, an edge of angry desperation creeping into his voice, but Gajeel either didn't notice or didn't care.

"Make me," he taunted.

Natsu growled deep in the back of his throat and redoubled his efforts to free himself. He was going to get Igneel's scarf back and then rip Gajeel's arms off for daring to touch it.

"I'm really fucking serious right now," he snapped.

"Yeah, me too."

Natsu finally managed to wriggle out of his prison, and lunged for Gajeel. The other dragon slayer danced back, a sneer on his face as he held the scarf high in the air above his head, taunting Natsu.

"Hey, give it here."

Natsu was so startled by the unexpected interruption that he paused his attack and turned to see Gray walking towards the dueling pair, hands shoved in his pockets and eyes unreadable. Natsu just stared at him, an uncomfortable feeling settling in the pit of his stomach. He and Gray fought, but surely his friend would never stoop this low?

He was so distracted gawking at Gray that he was only half aware of how Gajeel was eyeing the ice mage thoughtfully, weighing his options. Then, apparently deciding that Gray was a good choice of co-conspirator since he was Natsu's main rival and the two had a reputation of always bickering and harassing each other, Gajeel nodded.

"Catch," he said, tossing the scarf through the air in Gray's general direction.

Natsu made a strangled sound, his heart jumping into his throat as his most precious possession was tossed around like it was trash or something. How _dare_ Gajeel? And even worse, how dare _Gray_?

Gray's eyes widened fractionally, and it would have looked like he lunged forward a step or two if it didn't all seem so leisurely. Still, he whipped his hand out of his pocket and snatched the scarf out of the air well before it hit the ground.

Normally Natsu would just attack him right then and there, grab his scarf back, and be done with it, but for some reason he couldn't make himself move. He just stood there, frozen, staring at Gray. Hurt and betrayal flickered in his chest, and the whole situation was taking on a sort of surreal quality. For all their fighting, he and Gray were friends. Gray knew exactly how much the scarf meant to Natsu, and surely he wouldn't go that far?

It was worse than Gajeel messing around, because at least he was pretty new and not familiar with everything yet. But Gray knew better, and that betrayal cut deeper than anything because Natsu had _trusted_ him.

For his part, at least Gray didn't try running off with the scarf. In fact, Natsu wasn't sure what exactly he was planning to do. The ice mage had started walking towards the two dragon slayers again, the scarf clutched in one hand and his expression cold and inscrutable. Gajeel looked mildly puzzled as he tried to figure out the plan, and Natsu was still too blindsided by the betrayal to react.

"You might have noticed by now that our guild doesn't have a whole lot of rules," Gray said evenly, not sparing Natsu a glance as he kept his unwavering gaze on Gajeel.

Around them, everyone in the guild had fallen silent, holding their breath. Probably they were waiting for Natsu to explode.

"For the most part there really aren't any, and we like to break everyone else's rules while we're at it," Gray continued. Natsu didn't know what the hell was going on in his head. "But there _are_ a couple."

Gajeel frowned in confusion and opened his mouth, but Gray continued on over him, cutting him off.

"I'll cut you some slack this time, because you're still pretty new and haven't figured everything out yet." Gray's footsteps echoed in the silence as he continued his inexorable approach. "But you should know that even Natsu has a rule. You're welcome to beat him up and make fun of him all you want. It's a lot of fun, really. I do it all the time, and you're more than welcome to join in."

Natsu scowled, some of his shock starting to melt into anger. He was going to pound Gray's face in for this.

Apparently unconcerned by his imminent demise, Gray stopped right in front of Natsu.

"You can rough him up and mess with him all day long if you want to." Gray's gaze hardened, boring into Gajeel mercilessly. Without looking away, he draped the scarf back around Natsu's neck and dropped his hands. "But you _never_ touch the scarf."

Natsu gaped at his friend's profile, his heart leaping into his throat again as he reached up to wrap his fingers around his scarf and make sure that it was really there. It was. He hurriedly readjusted it, winding it around his neck and tugging it tight.

Gajeel was staring too, mostly in surprise, but understanding was starting to creep into his eyes. The rest of the guild seemed a little shell-shocked too, maybe because they hadn't been expecting Gray to stand up for Natsu with all the two of them fought.

Natsu hadn't really been expecting it either, to be honest. And suddenly he felt bad for doubting his friend, because of course Gray would never be that cruel. But Gray also usually left Natsu to fight his own battles, and choosing to step in now, for something important, was unexpected.

And…touching.

Natsu swallowed hard. "Gray," he managed past the lump in his throat, "I…"

He trailed off, uncertain of how to respond. What was he really supposed to say to that?

Gray finally looked over at him, the cold anger in his eyes melting away as quickly as it had come. He grinned suddenly, and the expression was so normal that it was jarring. Natsu opened his mouth, but before he could think of anything to say, Gray punched him in the face.

The dragon slayer flew backwards and crashed into the wall— _again—_ and stayed slumped there for a moment, blinking at his rival in stupefied bewilderment. Gray just smirked back.

Then Natsu barked out a laugh and jumped to his feet, an answering grin tugging at his lips as he summoned up his magic and leapt forward.

* * *

 **emmahoshi: "The sock that is Gray" XD XD XD XD Hahahaha, I died a little. This made my morning, thanks. Yup, our boys are idiots, but we have love them anyway X)**


	2. Bouquet

**Note: Prepare yourselves.**

* * *

 **Bouquet**

 _Erza's birthday request threatens to bring a flood down on the guild, but Gray is determined to make it work._

* * *

"What are you doing out here?"

Erza shifted, rolling off of her stomach and onto one side as she looked back up the bank at Gray. The ice mage walked over and searched Erza's face as he dropped down to sit in the grass next to her. She smiled at him and then rolled back onto her stomach, propping herself up on her elbows as she turned her gaze back to the river.

"Nothing much," she said, trailing a hand absently through the grass. "It's a nice day and I'm enjoying it."

Gray didn't reply immediately, his concerned gaze boring into her, but then he relaxed and said, "I never took you for a sunbather."

Erza laughed. "What can I say? It's warm, the sun is shining, and it's a good day. Sorry, I didn't mean to worry you. Guess I should have expected you to show up eventually. I swear you have some sort of magic ability to know when I'm down here."

"Well, someone has to make sure that you aren't just moping. To be fair, I wasn't _that_ worried. I assumed you'd still be in a good mood because of your birthday."

Erza hid a smile. For all Gray sometimes tried to play it down, he was a big softie at heart. He might be an annoying little brat at times, but he did genuinely care about his friends, and he tended to take the river seriously.

"Yeah, I bet the party will be fun," Erza said, smiling as a gentle breeze tugged at her hair.

She did love parties, and birthdays were always exciting. Her birthdays were always the _most_ exciting, of course. There would be presents, strawberry cake, all her friends having a good time, and more strawberry cake. What wasn't there to love?

"Fairy Tail parties are always fun," Gray agreed with a chuckle. "So, what do you want for your birthday this year?"

Erza shifted her weight to one elbow and gave Gray a disapproving look. "The whole point of presents is that I'm not supposed to know what they are until my birthday. Otherwise, it ruins the surprise. And anyway, shouldn't you be coming up with your own gift ideas?"

"I already have your gifts." Gray waved a dismissive hand and gave her a crooked smile. "That's not what I meant, exactly. Just… You know, it's a special day and only comes around once a year, so it should be the best that it can be. If you had to pick something to make it a little more special, what would it be? Within reason, obviously. I can only work so many miracles. Just anything, no matter how small, that would make it special. This is your best opportunity to ask for something that you wouldn't normally ask for during the rest of the year, right?"

Erza stared at him in silence, and then felt a fond smile tug at the corners of her lips. "You're such a big softie."

Gray scowled, crossing his arms over his chest and looking away. "Am not."

Erza chuckled, but considered the question. She honestly couldn't think of anything better than having her friends gathered around and having fun…and strawberry cake. But she would get all of that anyway, and it wasn't what Gray was asking. She suspected that his real interest was in giving her some small, personal gesture to make her smile, and it was sweet of him to ask.

Something small and personal, huh…?

She thought about it for what seemed like an eternity, with only the warmth of the sun and the gentle rushing of the water and Gray's silence for company. It was probably more like two minutes, but who was counting?

Then a random idea hit her out of the blue, and she turned back to Gray with shining eyes. "Flowers," she said before she thought better of it.

Gray looked back, his eyebrows inching upwards. Whatever he had been expecting her to say, it was clearly not that.

"Flowers?" he asked, a puzzled frown spreading across his face.

Erza backtracked hastily. "I guess that's kind of silly."

"I didn't say that. If it's important to you, then it's not silly. But may I ask why?"

"Well…" Erza rolled back over and stared at the ground as she picked at the grass awkwardly. "No one ever gets me flowers. I guess because they don't seem like… _me_. And they usually aren't, but it seems sweet and it might be nice to do it just once."

Erza's image as a battle-hardened warrior and no-nonsense enforcer of the rules was not entirely unfounded, but occasionally she found herself drawn to the more feminine side of things. She didn't usually have the time or patience for all that nonsense, but occasionally she'd watch Lucy get excited over clothes shopping or painting her nails or whatever it might be, and it caught her attention. She did indulge in 'girl stuff' from time to time, but people often gave her odd looks for it since they weren't expecting it from her.

And she'd always liked flowers, on some level. They were pretty and smelled nice. But they were also frivolous things, their beauty fleeting before they withered and died. Erza didn't usually have a lot of patience for frivolous things, but since Gray was asking and this was the one day out of the year that she might actually indulge in something she wouldn't waste time on otherwise…

"Alright," Gray said after a short pause. "Do you have a request about what kind you want?"

Erza snuck a glance at him, but his eyes were earnest rather than teasing. "Surprise me."

"Okay." He smiled ruefully and ran a hand through his hair. "Of course you'd have to pick something hard."

"Hard? Why would–?"

"Well, we wouldn't want the guild to be flooded on your birthday, would we?"

Erza stared at him blankly, but then winced. Oh, right. Juvia.

"Have you actually just tried telling her that you don't love her like that?"

"Of course I have," Gray grumbled. He narrowed his eyes at the ground. "She's very resistant to the word 'no'. I think she'll come around on her own eventually…maybe. Until then, I guess I'll have to find a way to stop her feelings from getting hurt, prevent a flood, and simultaneously make it clear that I'm still not interested. It should be fun."

"Oh, don't worry about it, then," Erza said, shrugging. "It's not really a big deal."

"It's alright." Gray flashed her a grin. "I like a challenge."

Erza smiled but shook her head. "Don't worry about it."

Gray shrugged, then gave her a wicked grin. "Flowers, huh? And you say _I'm_ a softie."

"I am not!" Erza protested, flushing.

Gray laughed and stood, brushing stray grass from his pants. "Well, enjoy your sunbathing. I've still got some birthday preparations to do, so if you'll excuse me…"

Erza watched as he started up the bank again and disappeared from view, and then she turned back to the river, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth. Gray was an idiot, but he was a lovable idiot.

And yes, fine, maybe they were both big softies at heart.

* * *

Gray was late. Erza thought it was rather poor taste to be late to a friend's birthday party, but she decided to forgive him on the grounds that he'd been so sweet a couple days ago. And anyway, everyone else was here and already having a good time. It was easy enough to lose herself in the celebrations.

"Erza."

She turned and raised an eyebrow as she noticed Gray walking up, his hands tucked behind his back.

"You're late," she said.

"Sorry about that," he said, offering her a sheepish smile. "But hey, I got you your flowers."

He produced a bouquet from behind his back, holding it out to her with an adorably goofy grin on his face. Erza had thought that he'd given up on the idea after his worries about Juvia, but here was a bouquet anyway, all crimson roses and dainty white baby's breath peeking through.

Erza stared in surprise, but then hesitantly took the flowers, bringing them up to her nose and breathing in the heady scent. She was pretty sure that most bouquets didn't have all magically perfect, unmarred flowers, and wondered if Gray had hand-selected them all.

"Pretty," she said, tracing her finger over a rose petal and reveling in the softness. "Thank you."

"I thought they matched your hair," Gray said. Erza flushed and he leaned forward, a mischievous light entering his eyes as he added, "And now they match your face, too."

"Jerk," Erza muttered, burying half her face in the bouquet and staring out from between the petals with eyes that she hoped didn't look as embarrassed as she felt.

Gray just grinned.

"Gray-sama gave Erza-san _roses_?"

And here came the flood. Well, it was nice while it lasted. Despite Gray's teasing, Erza really did get that heart-fluttering feeling and sense of this being something special, so she decided that the coming drowning would be worth it. It was odd, how such a simple gesture could mean so much.

"Ah, Juvia, there you are," Gray said cheerfully.

He turned to the teary-eyed water mage. As he turned his back to Erza, she noticed that he was still holding another bouquet behind his back, this one far more varied and with many different types and colors of flowers. Reaching back, Gray deftly snagged a large blue flower and offered it to Juvia with a flourish.

Juvia blinked at it, her tears momentarily forgotten, and then squealed delightedly as she snatched the stem and admired the blossom. "Gray-sama gave Juvia a flower! Gray-sama is–"

'Gray-sama' was already turning to Lucy, and pulled out a pink rose to offer her.

"…Eh?" Lucy looked between the rose and Gray, her face scrunched up in confusion.

"Here you go, Luce," Gray said with a grin.

"Oh, um, thanks?" She accepted the gift and twirled it about in her hand, studying it with a bemused expression.

"Gray-sama!" Juvia gasped, scandalized. "Love rival is also getting a flower?"

Lucy's head snapped up, and her face went white as she spotted Juvia's death glare. "Oh crap."

Erza shook her head slowly. "Your grand plan is to stop her from flooding the guild hall by siccing her on Lucy? I'm not sure that getting Lucy strangled is really any better…"

Gray looked over and winked, his eyes sparkling. Instead of responding, he stepped over to where Cana was sitting nearby with her tankard. Pulling out a pretty white flower from behind his back, he deftly snapped the stem to shorten it and then tucked it behind Cana's ear.

"And for Cana," he said.

Cana's expression was utterly flabbergasted, and all she said was, "You would've been better off if you made yourself useful and got me more booze."

But as Gray laughed and walked away, she reached up to touch the flower in her hair, a faintly bemused smile tugging at her mouth. Erza watched in awe as Gray worked his way through the guild, a charming smile firmly in place as he handed out singleton flowers to all the girls. And despite some initial incredulity, he left a lot of smiles and giggles in his wake. He even managed to surprise a smile out of Charle when he nestled a cluster of tiny blue flowers in her fur.

And then Erza smiled too, fingering her bouquet absently as she watched Gray work. She could see that same flicker of happiness in the girls' eyes that had been in her own as, for a moment, they were each the most special person in the room. Such a simple gesture, but the surprised smiles and sparkling eyes were genuine.

Maybe this had started out as a way to get Erza her flowers while also keeping a tenuous balance with Juvia, but she could see that it had become something more than that and Gray knew it. His smile was just as genuine, and his eyes were softer than she'd ever seen them.

"That's…actually really sweet," Lucy said as she drifted over to Erza, still holding her own flower tightly as her eyes tracked Gray around the room.

"It is," Erza said with a smile. "And clever."

She had to admit, Gray had come up with a brilliant solution. He had given Juvia a flower so that she wouldn't be so upset by Erza getting her bouquet, and then he'd given flowers to all the other girls as well to not give her any romantic ideas. And it wasn't only because he didn't want the hall flooded, Erza realized. That boy could be a stubborn brat, but he must have worked hard to come up with a solution where Juvia wouldn't be hurt even though he didn't want to encourage her.

And in the process he'd managed to brighten everyone's day, just a little.

"Gray-sama is very kind," Juvia agreed, twirling her flower about as she watched Gray with a strange little half-smile. Then she turned on Lucy, her mouth twisting into a ferocious scowl. "But Juvia's flower is much prettier than Lucy-san's. Gray-sama made sure to give Juvia the nicer flower."

Lucy winced and rocked back on her heels, suddenly looking like she wanted to escape again. "Um, yeah, sure. Totally."

"Everyone's flowers are very pretty," Erza said in a conciliatory tone, graciously deciding not to point out that her flowers were not only the prettiest, but that she had gotten an entire bouquet when everyone else had just gotten one. "It's a very sweet gesture."

"Actually, I think it's pretty lame," Natsu said critically, crossing his arms over his chest and giving Gray a thoroughly unimpressed look.

Leave it to Natsu to ruin the moment. The boy could hardly be called a romantic.

"Oh really?" Gray turned back suddenly, his eyes taking on a sly, mischievous cast, and Erza got the feeling that the sweet part of this whole thing had just ended. He grinned and walked back over to the group, his smug gaze fixed on Natsu. "Do you feel left out? It's alright, I got you one too."

"…Huh?" Natsu's brow crinkled in confusion, and Erza backed up a few steps, wanting to protect her flowers from whatever was coming.

Gray produced the final flower from behind his back, holding it out to Natsu. It was a pretty pink blossom, the petals curling delicately. Gray couldn't have picked a girlier flower if he tried.

"It matches your hair," he said, coughing to hide a laugh.

Dead silence fell over the hall as Natsu gaped at the flower like a fish out of water, too stunned to offer a response. Then Lucy burst out laughing, and soon the entire guild was in an uproar. Even Erza felt a smile creep over her face.

"You…" Natsu's shocked expression morphed into a furious scowl. He snatched the flower and flames burst to life in his hand, burning it to ash. "I'm going to kill you, ice princess!"

He lunged for the ice mage, eyes and fists blazing, and Gray danced back with a laugh, ice springing to his fingertips.

"Aren't you going to stop them?" Lucy asked Erza as they watched the boys attack each other, fists and magic flying.

Erza considered it, but then half-buried her face in her roses to hide her smile and faint blush. "Not this time," she said. "I'll let them go just this once."

* * *

 **Note: I think this is the most pointlessly fluffy, sappy thing I've ever written, and I've written some disgustingly sappy shit in my day. But that ending, man. Still cracks me up. It's never too late to stick it to Natsu.**

 **It wasn't meant to be Grayza at the time, but whichever way. It's grown on me since then.**

 **...And I still can't stand Juvia, obviously. Crazy little bitch. But sometimes I get good stories out of her psycho tendencies.**

 **emmahoshi: Lol, sometimes the fun isn't in straight-up attacking but in _really_ sticking it to Natsu XD Gray is an awesome troll. And yeah, sometimes I like that contrast between Erza's tough side and her fascination with girly things lol Although I think that cake should be able to be loved by males and females alike. Cake for everyone!**


	3. Prayers

**.**

 **Prayers**

 _Lyon believed that somewhere, somehow, some way, Gray and the others had survived the dragon attack on Tenrou. He wished, he dreamed, he hoped, he prayed. He had to. He would get his answers one day._

* * *

 _Where do you go when your prayers are answered?_

 _._

Lyon didn't believe it when he first heard. For one, there were no more _dragons_. Two, a whole island couldn't just _disappear_. And three, Fairy Tail mages didn't _die_.

"I'm sorry," Yuka said solemnly.

"For what?" Lyon asked. "Those guys are all too stubborn to die."

And because he believed that, he joined in on all the search parties and threw himself into following up on every lead he could find. They went out to Tenrou first, joining Blue Pegasus on their fancy ship to look for clues.

Lyon couldn't help but stare. Tenrou was _gone_. It was just a wide stretch of empty water, with no land in sight. An uncomfortable feeling squirmed in his stomach.

 _Please let us find him._

Where could they have gone, if there was no island left at all?

 _Please let him be okay._

They searched and searched and searched, but there was only so much they could do. In the end, they kept coming back to that nonexistent island. There was nothing they could do. They would turn back.

"We can't just _leave_ ," Lyon protested. "They have to be here _somewhere_."

People started exchanging looks, but he only scowled and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'm sorry," Yuka said carefully. "I know how much you care about Gray, but there's nothing to find here."

"Who says it has anything to do with that little brat?" Lyon grumbled, looking away. "We have to find all of them. Even him, I suppose."

His team shared another look. They had been looking at him strangely lately, like he was glass and they were waiting for him to shatter. He wasn't going to shatter. Why would he?

But as evening bled into night and they headed for home, he found himself standing out by himself on deck, looking out blankly over the water. It had started raining, which explained the water on his face but not why it tasted salty. That must be from the sea spray.

Someone stepped up beside him, and he glanced over to see Sherry watching him with sad eyes.

"It's not too late," she said quietly. "Have faith."

That seemed unbearably difficult. Lyon knew—he _knew_ —that Gray couldn't be dead, but somehow it seemed hard to have faith that things would work out. Seeing that empty water, that nothingness, that complete absence of everything, left a sour taste in his mouth. A hopeless sort of feeling.

Faith was hard, but he hoped and wished and prayed. He hoped that they'd find Gray and quickly, he wished that Gray would appear on his doorstep one day and laugh it all off as a joke, he prayed that Gray was alive and well.

Those prayers got him through a lot. Through seven years, in fact. He still prayed and held on to his secret little hopes long after most people had given up. He continued to keep an eye out for leads. Whenever any of the other guilds went out on their periodic halfhearted search missions, he often accompanied them.

He grew older. Seven years older, in fact, and the world grew colder around him. He wondered how Gray would have changed. He was unhappy that he'd gotten cheated out of watching his little brother grow up. He'd already missed all that time after Ur's death, and he wasn't supposed to have lost another seven years.

If there was one plus, it was that as he matured, he found it easier to hold on to a quiet, deep-seated faith. Even as things seemed more and more impossible, he was firm in that silent conviction that everything would work out. The world grew colder and colder anyway, threatening to freeze over his hopes and dreams like in those first months. After each failed mission, it seemed like life crashed over him like a wave, cold reality pressing in. But he held his head high and pressed on.

He moved on with his life, at least after those first few months when he'd been unable to function. He moved on, in a way, although the world had lost some undefinable spark that he knew was related to Gray. Nothing was quite as bright or happy or beautiful, not when Gray's fate remained shrouded in mystery.

Still, he went about his life and said his prayers quietly to himself when he stared up at the darkened ceiling late at night. _Let me find him. Let him be okay. He has to be alive out there somewhere._

Sometimes, oftentimes when he'd been thinking of Gray too much and all those hopes and wishes and prayers had risen to a fever pitch, he'd dream of his missing brother. Usually there were just flashes of Gray that disappeared before he could grasp them. Sometimes they were actually pleasant dreams. And the nightmares, of course, which were too graphic and heartbreaking to lose their edge even in the brightest daylight.

The dreams hurt, because Lyon woke up and Gray was still missing. The nice dreams were the worst. There was always that lazy moment between wakefulness and sleep, just before his brain had fully awoken, where it seemed that Gray was _right there_. And then Lyon would blink the sleep out of his eyes and realize the truth, and his heart would plummet precipitously into his stomach. That was the absolute worst feeling.

But then he had the dream that changed everything.

Lyon was minding his own business when a snowball hit him in the back of the head so hard that he stumbled forward. He spun around and spotted Gray standing behind him in the snow, grinning widely as he tossed another snowball up and down, up and down in preparation. That achingly familiar smile and the mischievous twinkle in his eyes made Lyon's heart lift. There was such a pure, childlike joy about Gray as he bounced in the snow, something that he rarely ever let leak past his normal façade.

"You're getting slow in your old age," he teased.

Lyon laughed. "Yeah right! There's no way you're going to beat me!"

The next snowball hit him directly in the face, flying too quickly for him to even see, much less dodge.

"Whatever you say." Gray seemed unimpressed. "I always was better at snowball fights."

Lyon opened his mouth to protest, but then that uncomfortable niggling feeling began nibbling at the back of his mind and he had a flash of clarity. "I'm dreaming, aren't I?" he asked, his good cheer vanishing abruptly.

"Huh?" Gray gave him a look that was both puzzled and impatient. "What makes you say that?"

"You're still with me sometimes when I sleep," Lyon said quietly.

Gray pulled a face. "That's weird. You're being weird. Do you wanna have a fight or not? I understand if you want to back out since I'm obviously going to kick your ass, but…"

Lyon hesitated. It wasn't real. And yet, could he really pass up the opportunity to hang out with his little brother one more time, even if it was just a dream? It would hurt in the morning, but he could take advantage of these few minutes.

So he pasted on a grin and lost himself in the moment. Gray won, of course. Even dream-Gray was an unparalleled master of snowball fights. As he gloated and pranced about gleefully, Lyon couldn't find it in his heart to get worked up over wounded pride for once. He just watched with a small smile that was tinged with sadness when he remembered that this wasn't real.

Gray paused in his triumphant teasing, and a suddenly somber look passed over his features as he studied Lyon with tired, melancholy eyes. "You're an idiot," he said. "And you're annoying and you drive me crazy. But I love you, you know. Don't forget that."

Lyon swallowed hard and his lips trembled. "I love you too," he whispered. "Even if you're the most frustrating little brother in existence. I'm going to find you one of these days, I promise."

"Yeah…" Gray stepped forward, hesitated, and slipped his arms around Lyon.

Lyon couldn't breathe. Gray's presence was so warm and solid and comforting. Usually he wasn't allowed to touch in dreams. If he tried, Gray would disappear. He hesitantly wrapped his arms around Gray too, afraid that doing so would result in the other man immediately vanishing.

But Gray stayed and Lyon hugged him tighter in relief, crushing him to his chest. He let out a shuddering breath and felt tears prick at the corners of his eyes.

"I'm sorry," Gray mumbled. "Take care of yourself."

"Huh? What–?"

Gray's form seemed to waver, and suddenly he wasn't solid anymore. Lyon's arms passed right through him, and the older mage caught one last glimpse of sad eyes before he vanished.

"Gray!"

Lyon spun around in a circle, looking about wildly. When he turned, he found himself standing at the end of a long, white-tiled hallway stretching on for as far as the eye could see. He spotted Gray at the other end, so far away that he looked small and insubstantial. Lyon called his name, but he continued walking away and didn't look back.

Lyon had to reach him. He knew—he _knew_ —that he had to reach Gray before Gray reached the end of the hallway. Something bad would happen at the end. Lyon couldn't let it happen.

He took off running, his boots pounding loudly against the tile in time to the erratic beating of his heart. "Gray!" he called.

Gray just kept walking at a steady pace, neither hurrying nor dallying. He didn't respond.

Lyon ran, his breaths coming in short, painful gasps. No matter how fast he ran, the hallway continued to stretch and stretch and stretch so that he and Gray were always the same distance apart. He should be getting closer. It didn't feel like he was. The wind whistled in his ears, pushing him on. He had been chasing after Gray for so long that he no longer knew what else to do with his life, but today was the day he would finally catch him.

He stumbled over his own feet, and the wall next to him fell away abruptly to reveal a sheer cliff, craggy with rock and plummeting down to the center of the earth. The other wall collapsed as well, leaving him on a narrow, crumbling walkway suspended high in the air.

He ran, keeping his eyes straight ahead on Gray's back so that he didn't panic himself by looking down the deep chasms. Pieces of tile and stone flaked away under his feet and crumbled from the edges as he passed, and cracks shot across the path.

And he ran. He glanced back only once at a loud crash, to see that the path was collapsing behind him, slowly catching up. The ground shuddered like an earthquake and split in half right in front of him like a jagged fault line. He leapt over the gouge without a second thought, flying along the disintegrating walkway in a desperate attempt to reach Gray.

And then the rock beneath him gave way and he found himself plunging down, down, down. His cry was choked off as his throat tightened in fear.

Something grabbed his wrist, pulling him up short and nearly dislocating his shoulder with the force. He gasped and looked up, wanting to cry in relief.

Gray was on his knees at the edge of the precipice, leaning down to grasp him firmly. He began pulling Lyon up.

"Gray!" Lyon gasped.

Gray smiled, but his eyes were solemn. Lyon fell to the ground in relief, trembling and gasping for breath. He was safe. And he had caught Gray. Or, rather, Gray had caught him.

"Gray, you–"

Gray shook his head silently and stepped back, his dark eyes never leaving Lyon's face. The ground beneath him gave way and he vanished as silently as he had come, falling down into the gorge below.

"Gray!" Lyon screamed in panic, stumbling to his feet and lunging for the side. It was too late. Gray was gone, and Lyon was left alone on an island in the sky with nothing but air and dangerous cliff faces around him.

"No," he mumbled. "No, no, no."

He woke with a gasp, flailing about frantically. Gray. Gray was gone. Gray had fallen.

 _Please let me find him. Please let him be okay._

This dream meant something. Lyon could feel it. It left him jittery and on edge.

And when he heard that Blue Pegasus was taking their fancy ship out again in one of their periodic sweeps of the waters where Tenrou had once been, he immediately volunteered to go despite his team's gentle cautionary words and worried looks.

This was it, the day they would find Gray and the others. He could feel it.

He was vindicated when a glowing yellow sphere rose from beneath the waves and a golden-haired girl appeared for a moment standing on the water. He had no idea what to make of that, but the sphere fell away to reveal an unharmed island and his heart lifted in sudden, wild hope.

 _He has to be there. He has to be okay. Please._

The Fairy Tail mages weren't hard to find, although they were dazed and confused and hadn't aged a day in seven years. Lyon was glad they were alive, but he didn't pay them much mind. There was one person in particular that he needed to find and needed to find _now_.

He looked around desperately, and a sudden spike of elation stabbed through his body as he spotted a familiar shock of black hair. There was Gray still sprawled across the ground, his eyes closed in the sleep he hadn't yet woken from. Lyon darted forward and slammed to his knees in the dirt, grabbing Gray by the shoulders and drinking in the face he hadn't seen anywhere but in his dreams for seven years.

"Gray!"

Why wasn't he moving? The other mages were getting up and walking around and asking confused questions. Why was Gray so still?

"Hey! Gray, wake up!"

Lyon shook him gently and got no response, so shook him more forcefully. He placed trembling fingers on the inside of his wrist, on his neck. The world fell out from underneath his feet.

"Hey, droopy eyes," Natsu said, strolling over. "Quit sleeping, already. Lazy bones. They tell me we haven't fought for seven years, and that's unacceptable. Come on, let's go!"

Seven years and a lifetime of prayers. And now where was he supposed to go from here?

Lyon folded over Gray's limp body, the tears breaking loose and tracking down his cheeks as he shook and shook and shook.

"You all are alive," he whispered in a trembling voice. "So why isn't he?"

 _._

 _Where do you go when your prayers are answered_

 _but the answer is no?_

* * *

 **Note: Lol I don't have an explanation. I just thought it was wonderfully tragic to have Gray somehow be the lone non-survivor, especially if Lyon came along to find him. And yes, it's a song fic. *Gasp!* I normally hate those things, but this is the only kind I can really stand, without huge chunks of copyrighted lyrics. Where Do We Go by Lindsey Stirling and Carah Faye. Beautiful violin instrumentals and beautiful vocals and lyrics. I incorporated a lot of the lyric visuals in here.**

 **I originally had this great idea planned out, but I didn't have the energy to execute it right and now I have too many other projects to care enough about fixing this one. Oops.**

 **emmahoshi: Sole non-survivor is a tragic plot too X) And yeah, I was not impressed how there were basically zero real consequences or development in canon after seven years lol It's not a song fic because it's AU lol It's _both_. Listen to the song or Google the lyrics, and you'll see why it's a song fic. It's also AU, depending on how you define AU. I sort of split that category into alternate timeline AU and alternate universe AU—the former being more like this where we keep the canon world but change canon events (also included would be the "Because" verse because it specifically altered everything with Memento Mori and the aftermath), and the latter being where we change the canon universe (e.g., the dreaded high school AU; also included would be "Living Legend"). And then there's a sort of weird in-between category like "DoR" and "Recon", which have some elements of both but which I mostly count as the former. But I kind of just call them all "AU". Personally, I won't read anything with OCs in main non-villain roles. Not interesting to me. I only use them as villains and supporting characters when I need a charrie but the canon ones won't work. They're never going to be major players, though. (EDIT: Same. I have a few more alternate universe AUs I actually really want to do now, but I can't stand them at all if they don't incorporate enough canon elements lol Although I've been branching out a little because I want some stories where I can file off identifying information and give them to people if they want to see my writing but I don't want them to know I write fanfic lol Thanks lol I can't find anything to read these days around here :( There's very little I can stand to read in the FT corner of the site these days.)**


	4. And the World Went By

**Note:** **So, I'm posting this in celebration of my sudden unemployment. My ex-job has been making me so miserable for so long, and I'm so relieved to finally be rid of it lol Job hunting might plunge me back into the depths of depression sooner or later, but right now I'm feeling pretty fucking good. So yay, I'll have some more free time to write and answer reviews and PMs and things until I find a new job (hopefully one that actually has benefits and decent pay and isn't a two-hour round trip away—a girl can dream!). I know I've gotten kind of behind, but once I get my shit together, I'll try to get back on top of those soon :)**

* * *

 **And the World Went By**

 _When Lyon sees Gray for the first time after seven years of being presumed dead and the first thing he does is walk straight past him to fawn over Juvia, Gray doesn't care. At all. Mostly. Maybe it stings a little._

* * *

Seven years. It actually blew Gray's mind a little, even as he drifted among his guildmates in their now rather dilapidated guild hall. It felt like he had seen these people only a few days before, but they were seven years older now, some with graying hair or even a new child to show for it. The only small comfort was that everyone from Tenrou was still the same, although what that really meant was that they were all in the same boat.

He smiled and laughed along with everyone's celebrations, but he felt disconnected and unmoored. Natsu was his normal annoying self, belligerent and loudly cheerful, which was comforting in its familiarity but made Gray a tad envious that he seemed to adjust so easily. Then again, this was Natsu. Not much fazed Natsu. Even the rest of the Tenrou group seemed cheerful enough as they joined in the festivities. A couple people showed a hint of uneasiness, but they mostly seemed fine.

Or maybe they were good actors like Gray. He was sure that with a few days to adjust he would come to terms with things, but… It was a different world out there now, and it felt like he didn't quite belong.

The doors swung wide, and he looked over out of habit. His heart lifted as he spotted Lyon heading a small group of Lamia Scale mages. The lines of Lyon's face were a little sharper, his eyes a little older, but he was still Lyon and Gray was suddenly glad to see him.

"Oh look," Lyon said, raising an eyebrow, "you _are_ alive."

Ah, and some things hadn't changed after all.

"Sure looks like it," Gray said dryly. "So, how have you–?"

"And who is this enchanting lady?" Lyon interrupted suddenly, his gaze catching on Juvia.

Gray blinked, taken aback. "Um, Juvia?"

But Lyon wasn't paying him any more attention anyway. Gray watched in disbelieving bemusement as Lyon swept right past him and proceeded to harass Juvia with all the tact of a suddenly lovestruck man. Juvia was easily flustered by the attention, but Lyon was undeterred as he immediately began the campaign to woo her.

"Uh, hello…?"

But Lyon was well and truly distracted. Gray bit back a fierce scowl. Had Lyon just overlooked him entirely in favor of Juvia? Seriously? It shouldn't matter. It wasn't like he needed Lyon anyway. Didn't even like him that much. But Juvia? Really?

It wouldn't have been a big deal under other circumstances and it still felt like Gray had seen the idiot only a few weeks ago, but hadn't it been seven years for Lyon? If Lyon had been missing for seven years, Gray would have been a little happier to see that he was alive. Wouldn't have bypassed him for some chick he'd barely even met before, anyway.

Good to know he'd been so missed.

Well, what did it matter? Gray didn't even particularly like Lyon very much, so who cared?

To be fair, Lyon was the only one who really might have missed Gray. His team would have, but they'd been with him. The part of the guild that was left might have missed everyone, but hardly him in particular. Mostly they would have missed the guild's superstars like Natsu and Erza and Mira and Makarov and even Lucy. And, to be honest, Gray didn't have a whole lot of relations outside of the guild.

So it was basically Lyon, and it looked like even Lyon hadn't particularly cared. Gray supposed this was what he got for being an annoying brat—no one would particularly miss him when he was gone.

Well, screw the bastard. Gray didn't need him.

"Hey, ice block!" Natsu called. He had, of course, initiated a huge brawl already. Nice of him to take a brief break from trying to incinerate Gajeel in order to pull Gray into the fray. "Come on and join the fun! They say it's been seven years since I've pounded your face in!"

"Later," Gray grunted, turning away and leaving a puzzled Natsu staring after him. Oddly enough, he wasn't really in the mood to beat Natsu up, despite his sour mood.

He drifted around the guild instead, steadfastly avoiding looking in Lyon's direction. Mostly. Occasionally he caught a glimpse of the jerk still trying to seduce a red-faced Juvia.

Eventually he gravitated over to Cana. She had reclaimed her favorite table and gathered Macao and Wakaba around. With, of course, a huge barrel of booze. Her fortune-telling cards were fanned across the table, and all three players had five in their hands as well.

"Hey, Gray!" Cana slurred, spotting him. "Want me to deal you in?"

Gray hesitated but then shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

He sat down heavily next to Wakaba and accepted the stack of cards Cana shoved at him. This was some unholy mix of poker and war that Cana had created a long time ago, partly out of boredom and partly as a result of an alcohol-induced lapse of sanity. The only real rule was that she could change the rules at any time, resulting in an extreme difficulty in winning against her and the subsequent drunkenness of her opponents. Because, of course, all the players got drunk. Losers always got wasted, although Cana was always drunk by the end too. Winner's perks.

Gray was the only one who had really gotten the hang of the lawless game, and had the dubious distinction of being the only person to ever actually win. He could win a good forty percent of the time now, if only because he'd gotten creative at outmaneuvering Cana and her cheating ways. The only way to beat a cheat was to be creative about it, and he'd created a wide repertoire of workarounds now.

"Oh good, maybe Gray can figure it out," Wakaba muttered. "She's creaming us."

"I don't even remember the rules anymore," Macao added, his voice slightly slurred. "It's been so long."

"What rules?" Gray asked as he fanned out his cards and looked over the pictures staring back at him. "Cana cheats."

"I don't _cheat_!" Cana protested indignantly. "It's _my_ game."

"I'm so drunk," Macao mumbled.

"We're getting too old for this," Wakaba moaned as he hesitantly set down a cupbearer card.

"Never too old to drink," Cana said cheerfully. "My knight beats you! Take a shot."

"Oh man…"

"Actually, take three shots. Your wager's on a three now, right?"

"I'm going to die…"

Gray snorted. He would have thought people would have learned better than to take Cana up on these kinds of offers, but maybe they'd forgotten over that seven-year interim.

Although he could really use a shot right now.

He absorbed himself in the cutthroat mechanics of the game, ruthlessly cutting down Macao and Wakaba while simultaneously starting a vicious campaign against Cana, who struck back just as viciously.

"This has never made sense to me," Lucy said, shaking her head as she drifted over and peered over Gray's shoulder.

He waved off Cana's jubilant cackling at her latest win and downed a shot. "It's not supposed to. You just have to know how to work around Cana's cheats."

"But what are the _rules_? Like, why could she beat you with _that_?"

"It's really complicated, Luce. But fortune- and death-attribute cards usually trump everything else."

"…I'm confused already."

"Yeah, it's… Uh-uh, Cana, don't even try it. The wheel of fortune is going to run right on over your fool."

Cana scowled. "But–"

"Nope, not even the fool can escape his fate. Fortune wins."

Cana grumbled to herself but took half a dozen shots.

"Weird game," Lyon commented.

Gray automatically stiffened, but kept his gaze firmly fixed on his cards. "Yup."

"No need to be snippy."

His eye twitched. "Sorry, Macao. That's not going to beat anyone."

"Hey, I was talking to you," Lyon grumbled.

"I'm busy," Gray said irritably. "Why don't you go bother Juvia some more?"

There was a long pause, with only Lyon's silent presence to distract Gray from the still-raging game.

"Wait," Lyon said finally, his voice pitched in disbelief, "are you _jealous_?"

Gray choked on his shot and promptly coughed alcohol all over the table. " _What?_ Of course not. Why would I be _jealous_?"

"…Because I paid more attention to Juvia…"

"Ha!" he scoffed, scowling down at his cards. "Like I care. Don't flatter yourself. I don't think so highly of you that I need your attention. I'll have you know that I did just fine without you for nearly a decade. I don't need you."

Another pause. "You _are_ jealous," Lyon said with something approaching awe.

Gray growled low in the back of his throat, his hands tightening around his cards. "I already said–"

A hand grabbed his wrist, and he blinked down at it blankly. Then he looked up slowly, finally meeting Lyon's eyes for the first time. Underneath the normal cockiness in Lyon's eyes, there glittered something frighteningly fragile, a soul-deep melancholy.

Gray stared at him in alarm. "Whoa, are you okay?"

Lyon's hand tightened. He jerked his head in a _'come away'_ motion. Irritation forgotten, Gray stood immediately.

"Here." He shoved his cards roughly at Lucy. "Step in for me."

"What?" she squawked. She stared down at the cards with wide, terrified eyes. "But I don't even know how to play! I don't want to get wasted!"

"Just never play that one," he advised, tapping a finger on the card at the end. "She always makes you drink a billion shots for playing that one. You'll figure it out."

Leaving Lucy to splutter impotently while Cana cackled in delight, Gray threw Lyon a sidelong look and led him through the crowd. He almost headed for the front door, but changed his mind at the last second and went to the back, starting up the staircase that would lead to the roof.

"What's up?" he asked gently, pushing the door open and ushering Lyon out into the chilly night air.

Lyon followed him listlessly and then sat down heavily on the roof to stare out at the city below. Gray sat beside him, letting his gaze drift over the darkened cityscape with its twinkling lights dancing cheerfully.

"You don't really have to be jealous," Lyon said finally, his tone impossible to decipher.

Gray scowled. "For the last time, I'm not–"

"I mean, Juvia's cute and all, but I didn't even know her. It was a major upset to lose most of Fairy Tail like that, but I really only cared about you."

Gray could feel the heat splashed across his face under his skin, and was suddenly glad that it was dark. "Uh…"

"I went on a lot of those search parties, looking for you. And it's almost embarrassing how I broke when we couldn't find you. You're so annoying and arrogant and frustrating, but you're my little brother and I love you and it nearly killed me to think that I lost you again."

"Y-you–" Gray stuttered, his face burning. "Geez, when did you get so sappy?"

Lyon glanced over and a small spark of humor lit his eyes. "Isn't that what you wanted? I mean, you obviously wanted _something_ , or you wouldn't be so jealous…"

"I'm not _jealous_ ," Gray repeated stubbornly. "You can talk to whoever you want to."

"I don't know. Probably it was easier to focus on her instead of you. I promised myself I wouldn't cry or do any of that sappy shit."

"Oh my God, please don't cry," Gray said, his eyes widening in panic.

Lyon coughed out a wet laugh and his eyes roved over Gray's face hungrily, taking in every detail. "Ah, you're just the same. And you haven't aged a day, either."

"Wish I could say the same about you," Gray muttered, striving for snark as he glanced away and shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny.

Lyon's laugh was almost a breathy sigh this time. "I missed you. I didn't want to believe you were dead, so sometimes I'd imagine how you were changing and what you'd be like when I finally found you. And…you're exactly the same. God, it's good to see you again."

Gray dared a look up through his lashes, feeling awkward and shy under that uncomfortable blush. On the outside, Lyon hadn't changed that much in seven years. His face was a bit more angular and weathered, but most of the differences weren't so obvious at first glance—although they drew Gray up short, because he had seen Lyon just a few weeks before and the sudden changes were jarring.

But Lyon _was_ different. His eyes were different. A little more open and unguarded, more emotion and melancholy bleeding through. There was a different air about him and he seemed almost a little more mellow, with less of that immature emotional defensiveness that he and Gray had shared. The old Lyon would have rather cut out his tongue than say any of this 'sappy shit'.

"You've changed," Gray said with a melancholy smile. "I guess I missed you grow up."

"I guess that must be pretty disconcerting," Lyon mused. "Almost as disconcerting as finding someone after seven years and realizing they haven't aged a day."

Gray's lips tightened and he turned his gaze back out to the city. All those little lights and dark buildings looked so distant and far away. A faraway world lost somewhere in the future, while Gray was lost somewhere in the past.

"Everything is different," he mumbled. "The world moved on without us, and… I don't even… I mean, just a few days ago, I had a place here and I knew what it was and I knew how the world worked. And now the world is suddenly seven years in the future, and I'm stuck somewhere in the past. Things have changed, and…I don't know where to go from here. I'm lost now, I guess. And I feel like I lost something somewhere along the way."

Lyon didn't say anything for a moment, but then he inched closer and cautiously draped an arm around Gray. "The world is a less scary place when you aren't alone," he said quietly. "And you're not alone."

And Gray believed him. He leaned his head against Lyon's shoulder, the past and present becoming one, and together they watched the world go by below.

* * *

 **Note: Maybe to help make up for last chapter a little bit? XD**

 **emmahoshi: LOL you should be a motivational speaker XD But yeah, I've ended up in that rut many a time before, so it's always good to keep that in mind. (Which country, btw?) Lol this scene in canon annoyed me so much, so I wrote a fix-it. Also, jealous Gray is kinda cute. And seriously, who would rather spend time with Juvia than with Gray? Or with _anyone_? D: And yeah, I'm super awkward with emotions too lol My reunion would probably be even more awkward XD [EDIT: Wow, you're so worldly lol Italy has always seemed like a cool place. The only place I've been in Europe is Poland—my grandmother is an immigrant and we still have family there. That was the first (and probably last :/) time I've seen them. And I was in Australia for a couple weeks once. That's about it lol And yup about the paradoxes. I'm right there with you on the painfully punctual yet horrible procrastinator bit XD Aw, you're sweet. Thanks. I've enjoyed having you hang around so long lol Take care, and don't let all that busyness overwhelm you :)]**


	5. Hypothetically Speaking

.

 **Hypothetically Speakin** **g**

 _"Hey, Natsu? What would you say if I told you that I really had killed someone?"_

* * *

Natsu stormed into the guild, his fury eclipsed only by the horrible itchy redness spread across what felt like his entire body. He scratched furiously at the welts and winced as the momentary relief disappeared under the tingling of his pain receptors.

There was only one person who could be responsible for this.

"Hey, ice princess!" he shouted as his eyes locked on the little raven-haired boy sitting by himself in the corner with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face.

Gray's scowl only deepened when he spotted the dragon slayer advancing on him. "What do you want, ash for brains?"

Natsu growled low in the back of his throat at this newest nickname, but he had bigger problems right now. "I'm going to pound your face in! What the hell did you put in my clothes?"

"Excuse me?" Gray's eyebrow rose in a rather infuriating fashion, and the other lifted to join it as he noticed the red patches and let out a low whistle. "What did you get into this time? Poison ivy?"

"Pretty sure you snuck in and rubbed something in all my clothes."

"Don't you think if I'd done that, you'd have smelled me with that stupid nose of yours that you're so proud of? Please. Although by the looks of it, I wish I'd thought of it. Weren't you out in the forest yesterday? You probably got into some poison ivy."

Natsu paused to think that over. He _had_ been in the forest yesterday and early this morning… He shook his head and the glower returned. Nothing that came out of the little brat's mouth was worth believing.

"It was you!"

"Was not!"

Natsu lunged for him, and Gray jumped up and swung back without a second thought.

"Not again," one of the adults groaned as the boys began scuffling on the floor. "For kids so small, they sure cause a lot of damage…"

Well, whose fault was that? Gray was an infuriating jerk! First impressions aside, he was always grumpy and rude and asocial, and something about his stupid face made Natsu want to punch it. The kid had problems.

Natsu hissed angrily as Gray managed to knee him in the stomach. Scrambling back, he jumped to his feet and called forth his magic. No more playing around. The jerk was asking for it.

He threw a fiery fist at Gray's face, and Gray responded with a wave of biting ice. How could he even stand that stuff? It was so _cold_ and _unpleasant_.

They snarled insults and hurled fists and magic back and forth, sending the spectators scrambling out of their way. Natsu grunted in pain as ice slammed into his chest, and retaliated by shoving fire right back. He took great satisfaction in Gray's yelp and gritted teeth.

And then something slammed hard into his head and sent him to his knees with a pained cry. Blinking up in a daze of pain past his pounding headache, he found himself staring up at Erza. She towered above the bickering boys, her eyes hard and her arms crossed over her chest. Her long braid swished as she shook her head in exasperation.

"Enough," she said shortly.

What right did she have to lecture them? She was always spoiling Natsu's fun, too. She seemed to have made it her goal in life to break up every fight he dared start, but he actually rather liked fighting.

He jumped up, and Gray staggered to his feet beside him.

"You can't just– Ow!" He shrank back and lifted his hands defensively as she whacked him again.

"No fighting," she said sternly. Her eyes narrowed further. "And with magic, even. You're going to kill someone if you keep going on like that. What would your parents say?"

Natsu wanted to tell her that she was being overdramatic and needed to mind her own business—and Igneel might not approve of _pointless_ fighting, but he knew that fighting was a way to train and get stronger, so _there_ —but Gray exploded first. The ice mage had frozen stiff, but two heartbeats later he was alive again.

"You don't know what you're talking about," he spat. His hands clenched into shaking fists at his sides. And he was usually cold and grumpy and irritable, but Natsu had never seen his dark eyes so furious. "It's none of your business. What do you know?"

Erza had puffed up with anger at being talked back to, but uncertainty was creeping into her eyes now as she took in Gray's trembling body and twisted expression. This went beyond his normal brattiness.

"Gray–"

"You have no idea," he hissed. "No idea."

He spun on his heel and stalked out of the guild, leaving everyone staring after him.

"Huh," Natsu said after a long moment of staring at the closed door. "Someone's extra grumpy today."

"I shouldn't have said anything about parents," Erza mumbled. She winced and looked down at the floor, her shoulders slumping.

"Huh?"

"I shouldn't have said anything about Igneel either, and I'm sorry. But his parents are probably…you know…dead."

" _What?_ "

"A kid his age—our age—hanging around here all the time and we've never seen his parents? They're obviously not around. Probably dead." Erza sighed and scrubbed at her face with her hands. "I didn't mean to upset him."

 _Was_ that why Gray was so upset? Okay, so Natsu had never seen his parents around and had assumed they weren't exactly present, but he'd never really thought about them being _dead_. Maybe that was why Gray never talked about them, why parents seemed to be an off-limits topic with all the Fairy Tail kids but Natsu.

Despite himself, Natsu felt a small pang of sympathy for his rival. At least Igneel was still alive out there somewhere, waiting to be found.

"Natsu," Erza said, "go apologize to him."

" _What?_ " Natsu yelped, immediately pulled out of his thoughts. "I don't _apologize_ to him. He started it!"

On cue, his skin began itching and burning like fire again. He scratched at it in frustration.

"You will," Erza said firmly.

"But _you're_ the one who really made him mad! He was just grumpy when he was with _me_."

She winced. "I know," she said in a softer voice. "So I don't think it would be a good idea if I went after him now to apologize and check up on him. So you can go apologize for your part and just make sure he's okay."

"But–"

She met his gaze again, and her eyes hardened into steel. " _Go._ "

Natsu went. He scrambled out of the guild as fast as his little legs could carry him, but slowed to a halt once he was outside. He didn't want to _apologize_ to the ice block. That was _weird_. And Gray had deserved everything Natsu had given him.

What were the chances that Erza would find out if Natsu just left him alone and went to lunch instead? He entertained the idea for a few blissful moments before scowling. That girl was nosy and knew everything. She'd find out.

Muttering unflattering sentiments under his breath, he sniffed around until he caught Gray's scent and then stomped off down the street. He wouldn't _apologize_ , but he'd at least make up some excuse to follow Gray so that he could say he actually had.

He followed Gray's scent through the crowds and out to the park. Honestly, what was he doing all the way out here? Not that the park wasn't cool and all, but Natsu had sort of imagined that Gray would go somewhere dark and gloomy and broody. The kid was pretty broody.

It was a nice, sunny day, and Natsu basked in the warmth as he trekked through the grass to find where the annoying brat had gone. He wove through the trees dotting the park and stopped short when he spotted Gray slumped over on a bench in their shade with his knees drawn to his chest.

Natsu realized that he had no idea what to do now. He obviously wasn't going to apologize like Erza wanted. Especially not when his skin was still itching like hell on earth. And definitely not to _Gray_ , of all people.

"What was that for, popsicle?" he blurted out. When in doubt, be as confrontational as possible.

Gray's chin had been resting on his knees as he stared out with those ridiculously droopy eyes of his, but now he looked up and scowled as he saw Natsu stomping over. "Go away," he snapped.

"No can do." Natsu plopped down on the bench and crossed his arms over his chest defiantly. "Erza told me to talk to you, and no one says no to Erza. You were a jerk. You made her feel bad."

Gray stared at him for a second before puffing out his cheeks and dropping his chin back onto his knees. He said nothing, but his dark eyes were glassy and unfocused. Natsu blinked at him uncertainly, not sure what to make of this surprisingly non-confrontational response. Actually, Gray looked kind of funny.

"You okay?" he asked before he thought better of it. Gray nodded slightly but said nothing, and Natsu suddenly found himself talking to fill the silence and try to pull a response out of his incomprehensible companion. "Okay, so maybe I got into some poison ivy or something. I dunno. Erza says she's sorry for bringing up your parents."

Gray's gaze slid sideways and a faint frown tugged at his lips. Natsu wondered if it was bad that he had brought up the whole parents thing too. Maybe he should have kept his mouth shut.

He coughed awkwardly. "Uh…"

Gray looked away again and went back to staring at the ground somewhere ahead of him. He was silent for a long time before sighing.

"Hey, Natsu?" he asked in a voice so quiet that Natsu almost missed it. "What would you say if I told you that I really had killed someone?"

It took several seconds of blank staring for the words to really register. What the hell kind of question was that? A dumb one, first of all, but it wasn't like he could just refuse to answer when Gray was being all weird.

"I'd laugh," he said.

That finally got a reaction out of Gray. He whipped his head around and his eyes were wide and disbelieving. Then they narrowed dangerously and his weird melancholy was eclipsed by his anger again.

"You can't ever take anything seriously," he growled.

"Why should I? I don't like stupid hippo–hyper–higher– Those stupid make-believe questions."

"Whatever." Gray unfolded his legs and stood up with a huff. Turning on his heel, he stalked away with all the grace of a grumpy kitten pretending to be a rough-and-tumble alley cat.

"Hey!" Natsu called after him in self-righteous indignation. "Don't you just ignore me and walk off!" Gray didn't respond or slow, and Natsu jumped to his feet too. "I'd laugh because it's silly, okay? You're grumpy and annoying and a pain in the neck, but you'd never kill anyone."

Gray finally slowed down, his feet dragging until they came to a complete stop. He frowned down at the ground in front of him instead of looking back, but at least he wasn't leaving anymore.

"But what if it _was_ true, though? What would you say then?"

Natsu shifted about impatiently, not understanding Gray's sudden interest in hypo-whatever questions. They seemed pretty useless to him. Either something happened or it didn't—there was no need to constantly make up all your own what-ifs.

"Well, I'd say it wasn't your fault, because you're stupid but you wouldn't kill anyone. So it would be an accident. But since you're an idiot, you'd feel bad anyway and blame yourself. So I'd tell you to stop, because you're being silly. And I'd tell you that you still belong here and we wouldn't look at you any differently and you could still be my friend."

Natsu broke off and flushed, suddenly feeling like he'd said too much. He'd gotten too caught up in Gray's hippo-question, almost pretending it was real even though it was so ridiculous. He shook off the strange feeling it stirred in his chest and wondered if there was a way to physically pull the words back out of the air. Now he sounded all weird and sappy.

Gray was looking at him now, a strange expression plastered on his face as he half turned. Crap, Natsu shouldn't have said anything so embarrassing. He was pretty sure it was Gray's fault because of his weird mood and hyper-questions.

Then Gray was scowling again, and that strange, incomprehensible mood was gone as quickly as it had come. "You aren't my friend."

Natsu drew himself up to his full height and his normal fire blazed back to life in his chest. "Oh yeah? Well, you aren't my friend either. So there."

Gray snorted and started over. He stalked past Natsu without so much as looking at him.

"Come on, flame brain."

"Huh? Why?"

"Let's go find something to fix your poison ivy problem."

Natsu stared at the retreating boy's back, floored. "Really?"

"Otherwise I'm going to have to listen to you whine about it all day."

He stayed rooted to the spot, but then laughed and felt a grin tugging at the corners of his lips. And Gray was a weird kid and not all that easy to get along with, but Natsu followed him anyway.

* * *

Gray's sigh lingered in the night air before being swallowed by the darkness and soft lapping of the waves below. He pulled his knees tighter to his chest and dropped his chin onto them. He shifted a little to find a more comfortable position on the hard rock, but his gaze and attention were fixed solely on the ocean rolling by ahead of him, the water glimmering faintly in the moonlight.

The hole in his chest yawned wide, and the absence there weighed heavier than ever. It had been a while since it had hit him so hard. He'd gotten better at pushing things out of mind over the years, but Lyon had taken great delight in shoving it all back in his face.

A wave crashed over a nearby rock, sending a fine mist of ocean spray wafting toward him. He scooted backward and eyed the ocean. He wondered if Ur was somewhere in the waves, if he could touch her if he dipped his hand into the water. He inched backward another few centimeters for good measure.

Something crashed behind him in a clatter of stones and colorful curses. He whipped around, almost losing his balance in the process, and spotted Natsu tumbling down the escarpment.

"Ow," the dragon slayer groaned as he crumpled into a heap among the wide stones and steep boulders lining the beach.

"What the hell?" Gray wondered aloud. He'd thought everyone was safely asleep back in the demon village. So much for getting some peace and quiet to be alone.

"Hey, ice block." Natsu picked himself up, wincing and brushing himself off as he limped over and flopped gracelessly onto the flat boulder Gray had picked as his vantage point. "Fancy seeing you here."

"Go away." Gray turned back to the ocean with a scowl, hunching his shoulders.

Natsu stayed quiet, but he didn't go away. He had always sucked at taking direction. After a few long seconds of silence, he started laughing.

It wasn't really an amused sound. It was a little forced, a little strange, and the distorted sound echoed oddly off the stone and water to disturb the silence. It felt out of place and jarring against the solemnity of the mood.

Gray looked back at the dragon slayer and stared in disbelief, but his shock quickly morphed into anger. "What the _hell_?" he repeated in a growl.

Natsu shrugged but at least stopped with that awful, strained laughter. His eyes were solemn, with none of their usual blithe cheeriness.

"I told you I'd laugh," he said. "You know, if you ever told me that you killed someone."

That made absolutely no sense, but then hazy memories began surfacing in Gray's mind. God, that had been so long ago. They'd been kids.

"Hm."

"You remember?"

"Sure."

"None of it has changed."

"Hm." Gray frowned out at the water. "Hypothetically speaking…"

Natsu groaned loudly. "Not more hypothetical questions."

"I guess it's not really that hypothetical," Gray mused grimly.

"Of course it is. If it's not real, it must be hypothetical, right?"

"Hm."

"Don't 'hm' me. I was right, wasn't I? It would only happen if it was an accident and you blamed yourself for something stupid."

Gray sighed. "It doesn't matter."

"Doesn't it? Hypothetically speaking, I'd tell you that you still belong with us and we wouldn't look at you any differently and you would still be my best friend."

Gray looked over despite himself. Natsu's cheeks were darker than usual in the moonlight, but his face was creased with determination. He met Gray's gaze squarely, eyes holding as much steel as warmth.

No, Natsu wasn't looking at him any differently, not even with everything he'd learned today.

"Hush," Gray said, his gaze sliding back to the sea. "If you keep talking like that, someone's going to get the idea that we're actually friends."

Natsu chuckled despite himself, and the sound was warmer and more genuine than last time. "You're so stubborn."

Gray gave the ocean one last look before he unfolded his legs and pulled himself to his feet, sure-footed as he picked his way back through and around and over the boulders. "Come on, then."

"Come on for what? It's the middle of the night."

"Let's go patch you up. It looks like those rocks really did a number on you."

Gray didn't slow or look back. Natsu could follow or not.

After a brief pause, Natsu snorted in amusement and scrambled after him, pebbles skittering under his clumsy feet.

And for tonight, it was enough that Gray had been exposed and still wasn't alone.

* * *

 **emmahoshi: Eh, sure, I watch/read more than FT, I just don't usually get as inspired to write. Most of the media I consume are actually novels, but lately I end up writing more for anime. Your Lie in April is definitely not the type of anime I usually watch, tbh. I only watched it at all because I saw spoilers for the ending and wanted to see an anime actually kill someone off lol I don't much care for anything approaching a harem or reverse harem, but this one wasn't bad enough to turn me off. Increased 0.5% tact with age XD Sounds like Natsu lol Well, "make-believe" is more of the kiddie term lol That's usually what adults call kids' imagination-focused games and activities, so I'm pretty confident that they'd know it before "hypothetical". Ah, Natsu, dumb as rocks but also accidentally smart sometimes XD (Btw, for what it's worth, I did finally write "Gag Gift" like I promised you :) I'll probably post it after "Recon" is wrapped up lol) [EDIT: Yeah... I'm sort of jumping around all over the place in what I'm writing right now, tbh. Maybe I'm just reveling in my freedom from "Recon". I'm trying to knock out some of the smaller pieces right now, and there's some sort of half-baked goal to pick ones that focus on different characters and genres so that all the Gray/Natsu or Gray/Lyon pieces or whatever don't end up together when I post lol Ha, same. Someone can be really important to you, but I think it's a problem if you're so devoted that they are everything and you can't be yourself without them. That's starting to border on unbalanced and unhealthy. I hope your book turns out to be a good read, and I'll be sure to invest in some earplugs one of these days XD]**


	6. Never Have I Ever

**Note: Story has nothing to do with drinking games, but I've always had a fondness for overly glib titles. *shrugs***

 **I wasn't going to post this for a while, but I was talking to someone about Gray and Lyon's relationship and thought, why not? Might as well. Also, I'm still working on depleting my reserves before I hit the point I set to think about a possible discontinuation of posting. On the off chance you were wondering why I've been binge-posting so much stuff lately lol But I've started getting bored of it, so it might start slowing down again.**

* * *

 **Never Have I Ever**

 _It started off as teasing, turned into bitterness, and somehow ended up with Gray revealing an entirely different plan behind trying to use iced shell on Lyon on Galuna Island._

* * *

Lyon winced as he shifted in his seat and jostled his rather extensive injuries. He brushed it off and snuck another glance over at Gray and his group of Fairy Tail friends lounging around in some chairs on the other side of the Cait Shelter's guild hall.

"You could just go talk to him," Sherry suggested.

Lyon turned back to her with a frown. "Huh?"

She rolled her eyes. "Gray. If you want, I'll go with you and say hi to Lucy so that it's not as obvious that you're pining over him." She sighed and smiled. "Love."

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" he protested, flushing. Damn her and her obsession with love. She could make even the most innocuous things sound bad.

"You might as well," Jura said shortly. "Watching you pretending not to watch him is getting rather tiring."

Even Jura was in on it!

Lyon snuck another look at Gray. The little brat and his team had somehow managed to defeat the remaining members of Oración Seis and stop Nirvana, but it looked like they had gotten pretty beat up doing it. Lyon wondered if he was alright.

Then again, what should he care? They might have fought Racer together, but it was still the first time they had met since Galuna. Whatever uneasy truce they had struck, there was still a great distance between them.

"Let's go," Sherry said. She grabbed his arm and tugged him up, making him practically whimper in pain.

"H-hey!"

She dragged him along with surprising strength, and he wondered when she had gotten so forceful.

"Oh, look who it is," Natsu said as Sherry sat down in their circle and pulled Lyon down in the seat beside her.

"Hi," Sherry volunteered.

Lucy gave her a wary once-over but nodded politely. Gray glanced over and ran his calculating gaze all over Lyon, but said nothing. It made Lyon uncomfortable, so he went for his normal bluster to put himself back at ease.

"Wow, someone sure took a piece out of you," he said, raising an eyebrow and smirking.

Gray scowled. "You aren't looking so good yourself."

"I'm not that easy to kill. You'll have to try harder next time."

"Excuse me?" Gray demanded, outraged. " _You're_ the one who decided to jump off a cliff! I had nothing to do with it!"

Lyon found his indignation quite amusing and, of course, immediately capitalized on it.

"Well, someone had to take care of Racer's bomb, and I sure didn't see _you_ doing it."

"What a jerk." Gray crossed his arms and looked away with narrowed eyes. "I can't believe I spent so much time looking for you," he muttered.

Lyon eyed him curiously, but continued pressing on while he had the advantage. "You've done a terrible job trying to off me. But maybe I should be more careful. They say that the third time's the charm."

Gray's brows knit together in confusion as he looked back at Lyon with puzzled eyes. "…What are you talking about?"

Lyon smirked. "About how you always seem to be trying to kill me. But you haven't managed it yet!"

"What? I have never tried to kill you."

Lyon's eyebrows shot upwards. "Really? We're going to play that game?"

Gray frowned and turned his gaze inward as if searching through his memories, but then shrugged. "Nope, no idea what you're talking about."

"Galuna doesn't ring any bells?" Lyon shook his head in disbelief. "No iced shell, nothing?"

He wondered, almost immediately, if he'd gone too far and crossed the line between joking and the reality that everyone was pretending not to remember. Galuna was a little bit of a sticking point, and everyone had been studiously acting like it had never happened. Perhaps it wasn't a good idea to bring up the time when they had been enemies, especially since Gray seemed content to sweep it under the rug. Especially since Lyon had really messed things up then.

"Oh." A weary, resigned understanding entered Gray's eyes as he sighed and let his gaze drift away. "I wasn't trying to kill you."

"If you give me any of this 'iced shell isn't supposed to kill' bullshit…"

"Well, it's _not_. I didn't know about what happened to Deliora then. I'd like to think that it still wouldn't have killed you, if only because I didn't want it to and it would've been my ice."

"Oh, because being eternally trapped is so much better," Lyon said acidly.

The mood hanging over the group turned tense, the air so thick that he could have cut it with a knife. He…shouldn't have said anything. But there was a niggling feeling in his gut, something angry and resentful. He hadn't realized he was still so bitter about the whole iced shell thing. Maybe it wasn't fair since he had tried hurting Gray first, but it still stung.

"But you wouldn't have been." Gray smiled down at his hands, an oddly melancholy expression. "You must have thought I was so stupid to try that when your friends already had the whole moon drip ritual figured out, but…that was what I was counting on. They would have been able to get you out again, just like you said."

"…What?" Lyon _had_ , in fact, thought Gray was silly to get caught up in the moment and overlook the fact that Sherry and the others could still free him like they were trying to free Deliora, but he hadn't realized that Gray was smart enough to have figured that out on his own. And if he _had_ been smart enough to figure it out, then what possible reason could he have for trying it anyway?

"If you were out of commission, your crazy cult thing wouldn't have kept trying to free Deliora, right? You were the one who thought you could defeat it. They were helping you because they wanted to see you take it down. They wouldn't have tried it on their own.

"They would have stopped the revival ceremony and worked on freeing you instead, and they wouldn't be able to do both at once even if they wanted to. My team would have let them, because that's the kind of people they are. They would've made sure Deliora was contained and you couldn't get at it again after, but they would want you freed too.

"It might've taken a few years, but your friends would free you and Deliora would be safely contained and everyone would be alright in the end. _That_ was the plan."

Lyon opened his mouth, closed it again, felt it twist into a funny expression. That…was not what he had expected to hear from Gray. Something twisted painfully in his chest.

"…What the hell?" Natsu demanded, finding his voice first. Fire smoldered in his narrowed eyes.

"Great," Gray murmured with a sigh. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, a long-suffering weariness lining his face. "Here we go again."

"That's even worse than just rage-quitting and deciding to take the bastard out with you! Now you _thought it through_ and still decided it was a good idea? Do you always have to jump through hoops to look for convoluted ways to kill yourself?"

"It wasn't about killing anyone," Gray said. "It was about protecting them."

"But what were you _thinking_?" Lyon burst out, his hands clenching into fists. Whatever hint of bitterness he'd harbored about iced shell was nothing compared to his horrified anger at this newest revelation. "What kind of sane person would do that over just eliminating the problem?"

Gray tilted his head, dark eyes studying Lyon almost curiously. "It wasn't about killing anyone," he repeated. "It was about protecting them."

That meant _him_ , Lyon realized. Not only Gray's friends or the world at large, but Lyon himself, the person who had set the whole thing in motion in the first place. Gray had been desperate to stop Deliora from being resurrected and wasn't willing to take any chances, and he'd looked for a solution that would bring the ritual to a screeching halt but wouldn't kill or seriously hurt anyone involved. He wasn't confident in his ability to stop Lyon and his cronies on his own, wasn't confident that he could protect the villagers or his friends from them, knew he was running out of time to make sure the ritual was stopped, and had resorted to desperate last-ditch efforts that would put both sides at a stalemate instead of just crushing the opposition. What a _fool_.

"But why?" Lyon asked, his voice wavering. "Iced shell requires _two_ sacrifices. It would've made more sense to just kill me or at least maim me enough to put me out of commission. I was your enemy! I orchestrated the whole thing! Why are you such a sacrificial idiot?"

One corner of Gray's mouth curled into a bemused half-smile. "You were being stupid and we were on opposite sides, but you were never my enemy."

Lyon gaped at him. This boy…

He shook it off, not wanting to poke at that knot of emotions right now. He would need to examine it eventually, but he wasn't going to melt down right in front of Gray and all the other people lurking around.

" _You_ were stupid," he said firmly, his voice stern and unyielding to cover up the emotions underneath. "Iced shell isn't something you should–"

"Don't lecture me." Gray's eyes went dark and cold and hard, and he set his face in unyielding lines. Those eyes made it clear that he was serious. "I might still have some fondness for you, but you lost the right to lecture me a long time ago. I'm not a child anymore. And neither are you, so stop acting like one."

Lyon stared. Here was a hint of the distance between them, the damage to their relationship caused by years of separation and betrayal. It was almost a relief to see it after how Gray seemed to ignore or brush it all off.

It was something that Lyon could work with. Something he could maybe fix over time.

But it was good that there were some boundaries now. He'd just have to figure them out and then work at convincing Gray to push them back. He wanted to know where he stood so that he had an idea of how far he needed to go and where he needed to start with fixing things.

"Aw, you do still have a backbone after all!" he said brightly. "And here I was starting to get worried that you lost all your instinct for self-preservation."

He lunged and caught Gray in a headlock, mussing his hair roughly like he was a child.

"Hey!" Gray yelped. He flailed about. "Get off! You can't just–"

"Why?" Lyon breathed into his ear so softly that even he could barely hear it. "Have I also lost the right to be your friend?"

Gray went still in Lyon's grip and his cheeks darkened. "You're going to, if you keep abusing it," he mumbled.

Lyon considered it for a moment and then grinned as he went back to the noogie. "Oh well, it's too much fun!"

"Ly- _on_! Get off!"

Never would he ever, Lyon decided, take Gray for granted again.

* * *

 **emmahoshi: Tbh, I was not impressed with the canon non-explanation for why Gray tried using iced shell on Lyon. It made sense against Deliora, but I found that using it against Lyon had a weaker basis. So I made up my own explanation lol And yeah, I get that Gray in general and some of the other guys have this habit of ignoring serious issues like they never happened so that they don't have to talk about them, but sometimes it's a little frustrating. Something that big should have really been addressed at some point in some way, I think. (Wait, someone eating your cake is considered "trivial"? Who are you and what have you done with emmahoshi? XD) [EDIT: Hahaha, that sounds more like the emmahoshi I know XD I do remember the airport story lol It's okay, I don't like people touching my food either. Except for the foods I don't like. I have a habit of sneaking my mushrooms and onions and tomatoes and stuff onto my family's plates when they aren't looking. And sometimes even when they are ._.]**


	7. Fruit Salad

.

 **Fruit Salad**

 _After an argument, Gajeel decides to swallow his pride and make it up to Levy with a nice date out. Seeking out romantic advice is not something he really wants to do, but he's desperate. Advice from Juvia and Mira in hand, he sets up the perfect apology. What could possibly go wrong?_

* * *

Gajeel knew he was in dire straits when he had to go to Juvia for help. But Levy was really pissed this time, and he was not well-equipped to handle the whole emotional apology side of things. He also didn't much care for seeking out advice, much less _romantic_ advice, but if it had to be someone then it might as well be Juvia.

He headed for the guild, but only made it halfway before spotting a suspicious flash of blue in the bushes. He paused to watch Juvia as she hunkered down under cover of the shrubbery and peeked through the leaves. Glancing across the street, he noted Gray and his team arguing loudly as they strolled on in the direction of the guild hall.

Ah, that explained it.

Rolling his eyes, Gajeel said, "Hey, Juvia. I need your help."

Juvia nearly jumped out of her skin, and toppled over with a loud crunching of leaves and twigs as she whipped around and lost her balance. The group walking past looked over at the commotion, and Gajeel shrugged and waved at them. They gave him odd looks and moved on.

"Gajeel-kun!" Juvia said in a loud whisper. She threw a longing look after her beloved Gray-sama before resigning herself to dealing with the dragon slayer. "How can Juvia help?"

"It's…about Levy."

Juvia's face lit up and she leapt to her feet in excitement. "Romantic advice? Juvia is great with romantic advice! She can definitely help Gajeel-kun!"

Gajeel's eye twitched, but he decided to forego commenting because he really did need some help. "Well, you see, we might've kinda gotten in a fight the other day. And she's still really pissed. And it might've kinda been my fault, so I gotta make it up to her somehow…"

Juvia nodded thoughtfully as she digested that. "Has Gajeel-kun apologized?"

"Of course. Sort of. But she's mad enough that I need some kind of apology gesture to go along with it. You know."

"Juvia does know!" She grinned and rubbed her hands together, her eyes alight with an almost maniacal glee that had Gajeel backing up a half-step and eyeing her warily. "Juvia knows all about how to win over a lover! First, Gajeel-kun should follow Levy-san around. Everywhere. This shows her that Gajeel-kun cares and wants to spend time with her, and means that they can be together all the time. Next, Gajeel-kun should bake something for Levy-san. Preferably with her face on it, to show how much he loves her. Or even his face. Or, even better, both! Oh, and Gajeel-kun should make a shrine to Levy-san, with all sorts of dolls in her likeness and collected clothing and–"

"Never mind," Gajeel interrupted hastily. "Thanks, I think I've got it."

Why, exactly, had he thought that going to Juvia was a good idea? She hadn't had any luck at all winning Gray over with her overly involved tactics, and they were a bit creepy even if you caught them in the right light. No way would Levy respond well to Gajeel stalking her or feeding her food with her face on it.

"Good luck!" Juvia called after him as he slunk off in defeat. "Juvia knows Levy-san will love it!"

…Yeah. Sure.

So if he couldn't ask Juvia, who _could_ he ask? He'd rather die than ask for romantic advice from just about anyone.

Half an hour of moody pacing along the streets finally gave him his answer: Mira. Of course. Mira knew everything and was who everyone could always go to for advice. And she heard enough romantic drama and secrets at the bar that his wouldn't seem so interesting. She would keep things confidential and was known to have good romantic sense. Perfect.

Gajeel made a beeline for the guild with his new goal firmly in mind, and headed straight for the bar. Mira was drying dishes and putting them away behind the bar, her usual bright smile on her face. Gajeel took a look around to make sure that no one was paying attention and Levy wasn't around—of course not, she was still off sulking—before sliding onto a barstool.

"Mira."

"What's up, Gajeel?" She smiled and drifted over, still running the cloth over a glass.

"I need some advice," he grumbled, scowling at the counter in order to avoid eye contact.

"Oh?" Mira's surprise and curiosity were almost palpable, but she exercised great verbal restraint. "About what?"

"Levy," he muttered. "I pissed her off and there was a big fight and shit. I have to make it up to her somehow, but I don't know where to start."

"Did you apologize?"

Gajeel rolled his eyes. Why was everyone on him about the apology? It must be some kind of girl thing. He made a mental note to give Levy a legitimate apology next time he saw her.

"Yeah, sort of. But she's, like, _really_ pissed this time and I wanna do something nice to make her not mad at me anymore. And she keeps saying I'm no good at spending time with her and 'putting work into the relationship', whatever that means, so I figure I'd better plan something out or some shit."

Mira nodded and her smile returned. "In that case, you're probably on the right track. Plan out a nice date and put some real effort into it, and she'll be happy that you cared enough to take what she said to heart and put in the work."

"Yeah, I figured that part out on my own, actually. The hard part is, I have no idea _what_ to do. C'mon, Mira. Help a man out."

"Hm…" Mira put down the glass and furrowed her brow in thought. Gajeel watched her with desperate hope as she tapped her fingers on the counter and thought the problem through. "Why don't you set up a nice picnic or something? The weather is supposed to be beautiful tomorrow, and you could take her out to the park. I bet she'd enjoy something more low-key after the drama you two have been having."

"A picnic?" Gajeel asked skeptically. He'd been expecting something a little… _more_ from Mira and her fabled advice-giving abilities.

"Sure. It will give you guys some time to relax and talk things out if you need to. You just need to make some food, and you'll be good to go."

"Okay, okay, fine. Can you make us up a picnic basket or whatever?"

Mira gave him a beatific smile. "I don't think so. She wants to see you putting more effort into making this work, right? She'll appreciate it more if you do it yourself instead of handing off the responsibility to someone else."

Gajeel paled. This picnic thing had seemed like an easy way to get Levy off his case, but it was starting to sound more and more complicated.

"I don't know…"

"It'll be easy!"

"But I don't know how to cook…"

"That's okay. Picnic food is simple. Here, I can give you some tips." Mira counted on her fingers and nodded to herself as she thought it through. "You can make sandwiches, of course. Any kind you want. Maybe some fruit salad. That's quick and easy. You could cut up some vegetables too as a quick and fresh side. Maybe bring some carrots or cucumbers or celery. And make cookies! I have a quick and easy recipe for chocolate chip cookies around here somewhere. Everyone loves it, and it's almost impossible to mess up."

She ran off and disappeared into the back before Gajeel could protest, and he could only wait for her return and reflect on what a mess he was making of his life.

"I'll…try it," he said reluctantly, looking over the paper she handed him. What the hell did 'pre-heating' an oven mean? Ovens were hot. That was just how they were. It was practically the definition of an oven. Why did it need to pre-heat if it was already heating as soon as you turned it on?

"I'm sure she'll appreciate that you tried," Mira reassured him.

"Okay, so sandwiches should be easy. I can cut up some vegetables and shit. And…however this cookie thing goes. And what was the other thing you said? Fruit salad? What the hell is that supposed to mean? Who the hell wants apples in their salad?"

Mira laughed. "You don't just stick fruit in your lettuce. It's just a fancy way of saying that you cut up a bunch of fruit and mix it together."

Gajeel was unimpressed. "If it doesn't have lettuce, it ain't a salad."

"Well, call it something else, then. A fruit medley. It's quick and painless."

"Quick and painless sounds good. Thanks, Mira. I'm gonna go figure this shit out for tomorrow."

"Good luck! Let me know how it goes!"

"Sure."

Gajeel slid off the stool and headed for the door. Putting everything together would take all day, especially if he messed it up the first half a dozen times and had to keep retrying it. It seemed like a pain in the neck, honestly.

But…he'd do it if it would make Levy happy.

And having her mad at him was also a pain.

A thought struck him as he was about to leave, and he turned to the first person he saw. "Is a tomato a fruit?"

Lucy smiled in bemusement. "Yes."

He scowled, not pleased to have a wrench thrown into his plans already. "Damn. Guess I can't cut it up with the vegetables, then."

Lucy's confusion deepened, but she was distracted by Natsu saying, "What? What do you mean a tomato is a fruit?"

"You didn't know that?" she asked in disbelief.

"It's a vegetable!"

"…No, technically not."

Natsu gaped at her. "…My childhood is ruined."

Gajeel rolled his eyes. It was always useful to keep someone around who was dumber than him. Waving a curt goodbye, he stalked outside, squared his shoulders, and set off to war.

* * *

Mira looked up as Gajeel dragged himself inside with leaden footsteps and ambled over to the bar. "How did it go?" she asked.

He gave her a blank stare. Judging by his look, not so well.

"…She's not mad anymore, anyway."

"Well, that's good!"

"Probably because she was too busy laughing."

Mira frowned. "Laughing? What happened?"

"The sandwiches were fine. The vegetables were fine. Even the cookies were okay, if a little misshapen. But that damn fruit salad…"

"The fruit salad? But that's the easiest part! All you have to do is cut up some different kinds of fruit and mix them together."

Gajeel glared at her. "You didn't say that there were _rules_ for which fruits you could use, like no tomatoes."

"Rules? Well, I mean, you want to pick fruits that will taste good together, but that's about it." Mira blinked at him for a moment and then it hit her. "Tomatoes? You didn't…?"

"Tomatoes are fruit! You didn't say that a fruit salad should be any fruit except tomatoes!"

Mira stared at him. She burst out laughing.

He shook his head in disgust and walked away.

* * *

 _Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad. — Miles Kington_

* * *

 **Note: Cliché, maybe. But that's actually one of my favorite quotes XD**


	8. F-R-I-E-N-D-S

**Note: I heard FRIENDS by Marshmello and Anne-Marie by accident a while back and at first thought it was kind of weird, but then I was like, " _Oh my gosh, it's Gruvia!_ " and so a story was born XD It's an awesomely savage song that can sound kind of mean until you get the realization that there really are crazy people who won't take no for an answer and leave you alone, and sometimes you've just gotta stand up to them. Also, honorable mentions to Take a Hint by Victoria Justice and Elizabeth Gillies and U + Ur Hand by P!nk. Just because those are the songs that Gruvia reminds me of XD (The latter a little less than the former, but there are certain parts that ring true.) No girl (or guy) should be expected to tolerate unwanted attention like that at the expense of their own desires and comfort.**

* * *

 **F-R-I-E-N-D-S**

 _Gray finally spells it out for Juvia. Juvia can't spell to save her life._

* * *

Gray sighed and dropped his head forward until his forehead hit the desk with a resounding _thunk_. His eyes were aching and sore from lack of sleep, and he let them drift shut.

But his goddamn brain wouldn't shut off.

Bouts of insomnia were nothing new, but it felt like he hadn't slept in days now. Not even the soothing patter of the rain on the windowpanes could lull him to sleep. He was tired of staring up at the ceiling in the dark and had thought maybe he could take advantage of his sleepless nights to actually get something done, but his eyes hurt too much and he felt like a zombie and his brain might be too awake to sleep but it wasn't awake enough to actually do anything productive.

Maybe it was time to give up and turn the lights back out and hope he could actually fall asleep this time around. At this rate, he might have to brave Porlyusica's lair and ask if she could make him some kind of sleeping potion or something.

Gray pushed the chair away from the desk and squinted against the light as he dragged himself to his feet. Yeah, the light definitely needed to go off.

His hand was hovering over the light switch when a loud knock broke the silence. He stilled and stared blankly at the wall. Maybe his sleep-deprived brain was imagining things?

Another knock followed as if to convince him otherwise, and he drifted to the front door. He was pretty sure that no one should be knocking at his door this late, but he might as well double-check or his brain would latch on to it as another reason to stay awake wondering.

He unlocked the door and pulled it open, and the staccato rhythm of the rain got exponentially louder. He nearly jumped out of his skin when the rectangle of light that slashed across his doorstep revealed, instead of the empty walk that he expected, Juvia standing there.

"J-Juvia?" he stammered, convinced he was hallucinating things. "What are you doing here?"

Juvia smiled. Her hair was limp and matted from the rain, but neither that nor the intermittent bouts of lightning and thunder seemed to bother her. Her eyes were bright and seemed much too awake for this late hour.

"Gray-sama's light has been on all night, and Juvia wanted to make sure he was alright. And if he can't sleep, then he can hang out with Juvia!"

Gray stared at her. Did this woman have no shame? Did she really not realize how insane she sounded?

"Juvia… It's two o'clock in the morning. It's pouring rain. And now you want to _hang out_?"

She wasn't even ashamed to admit that she'd been stalking him and staking out his apartment! Wasn't it already bad enough that she felt it necessary to follow him around everywhere no matter how hard he tried to shake her off?

"Yes? But Gray-sama is still awake, and so is Juvia!" She swayed forward and flung her arms around him. "Juvia and Gray-sama can spend the night together!"

Gray shook her off roughly and shoved her back a step. "Get your hands off me," he growled.

He had the sudden, ungentlemanly desire to slap her in an attempt to get it through her head that he wasn't interested and she had no right to be _touching_ him, but he swallowed it back both because he would feel horrible for doing something so cruel and because he knew it would be in vain. Juvia sniffled pathetically, eyes glistening with moisture, but Gray hardened his heart. He closed his eyes and counted to three in the hope that she'd magically disappear, but she was still there when he opened them again.

"…Why are you here?"

"Well, Juvia loves Gray-sama and she–"

"Here we go again," Gray groaned. He leaned heavily against the doorframe and pressed his fingertips to his eyes. He was too tired and cranky to deal with this bullshit right now. "It drives me crazy when you say shit like that. I can't handle this right now. Please go and don't mess with me tonight."

"B-but–"

"We're nothing more than friends, Juvia. I appreciate that you care enough to check up on me, but can we drop the game now?"

"It's not a _game_!" Juvia protested.

"Seriously, can you stop talking like that and following me around and constantly harassing me? You do realize that all that stuff is only pushing me away? I don't mind being friends with you, but I've already told you that I don't love you like that."

"Juvia will win Gray-sama over," Juvia said confidently. "Can she come in? If Gray-sama cannot sleep, then–"

Had he not made it abundantly obvious by now? Had she really managed to overlook all the many times he had asked her to knock it off and said that he wasn't interested in a romantic relationship with her? Did she really have no grip on reality at all?

Gray dropped his hand away from his face and fixed Juvia with a look so hard that the words died in her throat and she shifted nervously. "You really aren't going away without a fight, are you? I've already tried explaining this to you in every way I know how, but you aren't listening and I guess you really can't be reasoned with.

"I've already told you one, two, three, four, five, six thousand times. What about 'no' don't you get? Do I really have to spell it out for you? F-R-I-E-N-D-S. We are _friends_ , Juvia. That's _all_ , okay? Go home. Please leave me alone."

Juvia's eyes widened with hurt. "But–"

Gray was having none of it. "Take a hint. I know you think we should hook up, but I'm not interested. I would like to be your friend, and that is all. This fantasy of yours, it's over before it began. I was fine before you walked into my life and started throwing yourself at me, and I will be fine after you finally realize it was a fool's errand and give up. _Goodnight_ , Juvia."

He shut the door in Juvia's face and slumped over against it with his forehead pressed to the wooden surface. He let his breath out in a sigh and closed his eyes.

Maybe that had been harsh, but she had been resistant to every kind of reasoning he'd tried and he was too tired and miserable and cranky to be polite right now. Especially to someone who had been harassing him nonstop for months and refused to take no for an answer.

He could only hope that she had _finally_ gotten the message. For good measure, he turned out the lights and stumbled back to bed in the dark. Maybe he would regret being so rude later, but the woman was crazy and he was over this shit.

He pulled the pillow over his head and tried to convince his brain to go to sleep.

It didn't work. Or at least not very well. He fell asleep eventually, but only for a couple hours before he started awake again and gave up.

Gray morning light was already filtering through the window, so he tugged on some rumpled clothes and shambled over to the guild like a zombie. He was only a step out the door before finding himself wishing that he could just go back to bed and stay away from the guild today, but he was tired of trying unsuccessfully to sleep and one of his friends might come banging on his door if he didn't show up.

Hiding a yawn behind his hand and squinting his eyes in a vain attempt to alleviate the ache, he dragged himself inside the guild hall.

"Gray-sama!"

Gray forced his eyes back open and blinked blearily at Juvia. She was smiling as she bounced over to him. There was something in her hands that looked like a box of rolls with pictures of his face on them, which was exceedingly creepy.

"Juvia wants to apologize for last night!" she said brightly. "Gray-sama is still uncertain of Juvia's love for him, so she brought a gift to prove it to him!"

She couldn't take a hint, couldn't be reasoned with, and apparently couldn't spell either. She had that look in her eye again as she grinned at him, the one that drove him crazy.

Gray dropped his face into his hands and wished more than anything that he'd stayed in bed. "Here we go again."

* * *

 **Note: Seriously, someone needs to give this chick a hard dose of reality. But poor Gray may never be free :(**

 **emmahoshi: If anyone treated me like Juvia treats Gray, I would've totally freaked out and told them off ages ago X) I'm glad I don't have to deal with it personally, but there are a lot of people who do and it sucks. Especially when the media then tries to normalize and romanticize it. Ha ha, flashback moment. That was the first story I ever wrote for FT. Glad its horribleness has withstood the ravages of time XD [EDIT: Yeah, it disgusts me how many people go along with it. Lol if you really hate it that much, why bother rereading it? :P]**


	9. No Fairytale Princess

**.**

 **No Fairytale Princess**

 _When Lucy gets kidnapped and rescued by Natsu again, she's had enough. She's going to learn how to be strong and independent so that she doesn't always need to be rescued like a fairytale princess, and Erza is the perfect person to turn to for help._

* * *

Lucy could _scream_. Her teeth ground together in frustration as she tugged fruitlessly at the ropes binding her arms behind her back. They chafed at her wrists and rubbed her skin raw but _wouldn't come off_ no matter how she twisted and tugged at them. This was ridiculous. If she were a fictional heroine in one of her books, she would have a knife in her boot or know how to work herself out of bindings or _not have gotten captured in the first place_.

…To be honest, carrying a knife on her person would not be a bad idea. Or she could start carrying her whip again. Or, even better, find some sort of magical key ring that random goons couldn't steal off her to leave her defenseless.

Somewhere outside, her one-time captor screamed and the earth shook. At least Natsu was coming. Again.

Lucy grimaced and redoubled her efforts on the ropes. Maybe if she could wriggle her way out before Natsu and Happy arrived to break her out…

"Lucyyy!" Happy warbled as he shoved the door open and bounced through the air to her side. "You got caught _again_?"

"Shut up and get me out," she snapped, heat flooding her face. "It's been a few months since last time."

Happy rolled his eyes. "No one _else_ gets caught every few months. And this was an _easy_ job."

Lucy bit down on her tongue to stop herself from spitting out every foul word she had ever learned from her irreverent guildmates. Happy smirked, and Lucy tried to tamp down her simmering annoyance and embarrassment before they boiled over by telling herself that this was just his normal teasing. He would tease anything that made itself into a target, and she had done that fair and square. But it was still _frustrating_.

Natsu shoved the half-open door the rest of the way open and bounded into the room. "Hey, Lucy! Long time no see. You alright?"

"Fine," she grumbled.

He bent over and easily burned through the ropes binding her hands with a spark of magic. He pulled her to her feet in one smooth motion and tossed her ring of keys at her. She snatched them out of the air and cradled them protectively against her chest. Being unable to use her magic always made her feel so naked and vulnerable, and now she held on as tightly as she could.

"Job's done," Natsu said cheerfully. "I beat that guy up for you and found your keys."

"Thanks," Lucy mumbled.

He paused in the doorway and looked back. "You sure you're okay? Did he do anything to you? I can beat him up some more."

"No, it's fine." Lucy forced a smile. If even Natsu, who was famously oblivious, could pick up on her dark mood, then she really needed to tone it down.

Natsu and Happy exchanged a look but shrugged and let it go. Lucy slunk along behind them as they headed out to finish cleanup and collect their reward.

The first couple times she had gotten kidnapped or captured or nearly killed, she had found it endearing how Natsu always swept in to rescue her and save the day. At some point, it had even started feeling a little romantic, like a fairy tale.

Now it just made her feel weak. A liability. She was tired of being stuck waiting for someone to come rescue her when she wanted to be strong enough to rescue herself.

She had long despaired that Natsu was too thick-headed and immature to just _ask her out already_ , but now she realized, with no little shame, that she wasn't any more ready for a relationship than he was. A relationship should be an equal partnership—she didn't want to have to rely on her partner to always save her and take care of her. She should be able to look out for him as much as he looked out for her.

Right now it seemed like Lucy could barely take care of herself, much less someone else.

She sulked the whole way back to Magnolia and only waved off her companions when they pestered her. She was formulating a plan.

As soon as they walked into the guild, Lucy focused in on Erza and marched over. "I need to talk to you," she said as she grabbed her friend's arm and dragged her back out of the guild past the bemused stares of Natsu and Happy.

"What's wrong?" Erza asked. Lucy released her arm but motioned for her to continue walking down the street with her alongside the canal. "Did something happen on your job? Do I need to beat up Natsu and Happy for you?"

Lucy's lips twitched upward before flattening back into a grim line. "No, it's alright. Actually…I got caught again." She hunched her shoulders and scowled at the ground to avoid Erza's gaze. The last thing she really wanted to do was bare her shame to someone else, but there was no one better than Erza to go to for help with this. "The guy wasn't even that powerful, but he managed to swipe my keys and tie me up. Natsu took him out before anything really happened, but the point is that I couldn't do _anything_! I'm sick of it."

"Oh," Erza said after a short pause. She sounded stumped, not sure what to do with the admission. Maybe because it never happened to her and she didn't really understand how it could keep happening to someone so much weaker than her. "That sucks."

Lucy sighed and hopped up onto the raised stone edge that ran along the canal. She was rewarded almost instantly by one of the men in the boats yelling a hello and telling her not to fall in. Honestly, sometimes she swore that they all knew her and kept an eye out to tease her about falling in every time they spotted her walking on the edge. She waved back halfheartedly, still too worked up to want to exchange pleasantries with anyone.

"Yeah." She held her arms out to the sides and stepped lightly along the bricks. "It's like… When I was little, my mom used to read me fairy tales for bedtime stories. They seemed so cool and romantic, you know? The beautiful princess that gets rescued from danger when her knight in shining armor shows up to save the day. Geez, I'm going to go back and change any of my characters that I wrote as damsels in distress. It _sucks_. I'm tired of it.

"You're super strong and independent and– I want you to teach me how to be like you. Obviously I need some training to get stronger. I don't want to be a damsel in distress anymore. I want to–to slay my own dragons, you know? Dream my own dreams, fight my own fights."

She turned her pleading gaze to the redhead. Erza's eyebrows nearly jumped right up off her forehead at Lucy's choice of words, but she just nodded and plodded along in thoughtful silence for a few seconds.

"I'm my own knight in shining armor, so to speak," she said finally.

"Exactly!" Lucy grinned, glad she was making sense. If Erza was already relating it to herself, then that had to be a good sign.

"Admittedly, fairytale princesses aren't really known for their self-sufficiency. Maybe fun to read about from time to time, but probably not all that fun to be." Erza pulled her focus back to the present and watched Lucy sidelong. "But _Fairy Tail_ princesses are kickass. They're strong and independent and stand up for themselves and–"

Lucy nearly fell into the canal in her excitement. "Exactly! I want to be–!"

"–and don't have to rely on a prince to rescue them but know when they should rely on their team," Erza finished.

Lucy blinked at her. "…Huh?"

Erza met her gaze squarely. "It's good to be strong and tough and self-reliant, but there are always times when you'll need help. You can't always do it all alone. Not even me. When the boys come to your rescue, it isn't because they think you're weak—they just look out for you in the same way that we all look out for each other. The strongest people are the ones who know when they need help, and there's no shame in getting some support. That's the whole point of having a team. And we _do_ have a team, so no matter how self-sufficient we all are, we still have to come together and work as one sometimes. Everyone is a valuable team member."

Lucy opened her mouth and then closed it again. Erza was right, of course. That was something so obvious that everyone knew it, and so obvious that Lucy had almost overlooked it in her newfound zeal. It wasn't really fair of her to get snippy with Natsu and Happy for rescuing her when they were just looking out for their friend in the same way that she would fight tooth and nail if one of them was captured. She wanted to be strong and independent and badass, but it was a good reminder that she was still part of a team and they all relied on each other.

"Yeah," she sighed. "I want to be that kind of Fairy Tail princess. Can you help me?"

Erza laughed, the stern lines melting off her face as she smiled. "Oh, Lucy. You already are. You're more badass than you give yourself credit for."

Lucy smiled shyly, her heart lifting. "Aw, thanks–"

"But you could definitely use some help." Erza's eyes gleamed with wicked satisfaction as she began planning out her training regime. "You'll need some strength training to learn physical self-defense. Maybe I should train you in a weapon too. And we really ought to find a way to make sure you don't keep losing your keys. And, of course, there's always room to practice and improve your magic itself!"

Lucy smiled tiredly. What, exactly, had she gotten herself into? She had the feeling that she was in for a grueling few months under Erza's tutelage. But if she wanted to grow and get stronger, she would do what she had to. And she might actively hate Erza by the end of their first training session, but right now she could be grateful for all the work and effort her friend was willing to put in for her.

"Lucy!" Natsu called from somewhere behind them.

Lucy turned so fast that she would have _actually_ lost her balance and toppled into the canal this time if Erza didn't grab her arm and pull her back. Natsu was running towards them with a grin on his face, Happy flying behind.

"Are you less grumpy yet?" Happy yelled.

"We're going fishing!" Natsu added. "Come on!"

Lucy smiled and dropped her gaze to her feet as her cheeks heated. Those two were such goofballs. They were still worried about her overreaction from earlier, and she didn't doubt that they were trying to cheer her up.

"Okay!" she called back.

"Have fun. We'll start training tomorrow." Erza smirked, her eyes sparkling with wicked amusement as she looked between Lucy and Natsu. "Don't worry, I'll help you slay your dragon."

* * *

 **Note: Admittedly, I still have some problems with Lucy, but I want to see her be strong and independent in a way that Mashima never quite accomplished. Give her some girl power XD Erza will be the best and worst teacher lol**

 **Also, the story is inspired by Cinderella by...the Cheetah Girls? Really? Huh. I didn't know who sang it until I Googled it, maybe because I never really listened to the original version lol In any case, I thought it could fit Lucy.**

 **emmahoshi: Well, Lucy is the stereotypical nice-girl, heart-of-the-team, damsel-in-distress, weakish-and-one-dimensional-but-pretty-and-sweet, audience-insert/surrogate character. She's the stand-in for the audience, our way into a new world (quite literally, seeing how the story started with her being inducted into FT where there was already a culture with people who already knew each other well, and she learned about it and assimilated along with the audience). Tbh, that type of character is rarely compelling to me. It's not even that Lucy's physical/magical power never improved enough (although it didn't lol), just that she has a very static character and doesn't grow much past a certain point (although Mashima kind of screwed up all his characters by the end). I don't dislike her, but she's very weak in a literary sense. And yeah, she tends to be more about friendship speeches than action. She has some good points, but I feel like Mashima fell short on what he was trying to do with her. And I have less patience for her after finding a couple of good examples of how variations of this trope _should_ be done. Hiyori in Noragami and Yona in Akatsuki no Yona are _way_ better versions of the Lucy-trope. Then again, their writers have a lot more skill than Mashima and the stories are much higher quality in and of themselves. I mean, I still don't find those characters as interesting as some of the others (you know I have to attach to the walking psychological conundrums with tragic pasts XD), but there are ways to write them better. That's just my two cents lol  
[EDIT: My sister watched Galuna, looked at me, and said, "You like Gray because he's the first one to get a tragic backstory, don't you?" And I could not argue with her XD (Okay, I like him for a lot of other reasons too, but the tragic backstory and angst definitely don't hurt lol) Yeah, a good audience-insert evolves and grows alongside the other characters and really contributes something to the dynamics of the team/group/family/whatever. Honestly, I just hate static, stagnant characters. I want to see them and their relationships grow and develop over the course of the story. I know, it's a lot to ask lol]**


	10. Present Tense

**.**

 **Present Tense**

 _Gray didn't mean to lie, not really, but he didn't exactly want to tell the truth either. He's talking in the present tense, but he's living in the past._

* * *

Gray didn't mean to lie, not really, but it wasn't like he could tell the _truth_. He didn't want to be the poor little orphan boy, the charity case. And he didn't want his darkest sins uncovered either.

"I'm sorry I can't help you with iced shell," the tiny old man said. And if the master of such a powerful guild couldn't do anything, what hope did a stupid little kid like Gray really have? "I…don't think you're going to find a way to undo that spell. Will you be returning to your parents?"

The wrinkles deepened around the little man's sharp eyes, which had narrowed slightly. A test, Gray knew. He hadn't given any of the details surrounding the use of iced shell, of course, and the Master was fishing for information. Adults didn't take kindly to small children running around unsupervised on quests. What was a kid like him doing without his parents? Did he still have parents to go back to?

Of course he didn't, but he wasn't going to _say_ that.

"I don't think so," Gray said. "I'm not going back."

A flicker of bewilderment entered the old man's eyes. "You aren't going back to your parents? Why?"

Gray stared back for what seemed like an eternity. "I ran away," he said finally.

"You…ran away?"

"Geez, isn't that what I said the first time? You going deaf, old man?"

Not even that was enough to deter the nosy geezer.

"Do your parents live nearby?"

"…No."

"Don't you think–?"

"No!" Gray cried. His hands clenched into little fists by his sides and his lips trembled. "I'm not going back!"

The Master hesitated for a long time before sighing. "If that is what you wish. In the meantime, you're welcome to stick around and join Fairy Tail." When Gray gave him an odd look, he added, "It would be better than being alone, wouldn't it?"

Gray searched the man's face and found only sincerity. "I'll…think about it."

He joined, of course. He knew the matter wasn't closed and Makarov would try to encourage him to go back to his dead parents again later, but he needed somewhere to belong now that he had been exiled from his home. He wasn't entirely sure if the Master really believed the spur-of-the-moment lie or was just refraining from calling him out on it, but it was enough.

Cana was the next to ask. She was too happy and friendly and talkative, even when Gray was grumpy and didn't encourage her. She also seemed to have a thing for parents, which made him think she had some daddy issues even if all she had mentioned was that her mother was dead and she had been looking for her father. But _boy_ was she in love with the idea of parents.

"Where are yours?" she asked one day.

Gray shrugged. "I ran away from home."

She stared at him as if he'd grown a second head. "Why?" Her eyes widened. "Were your parents very mean to you?"

"Of course not! They're wonderful!"

"Then why did you run away?"

Gray averted his gaze and scowled at the ground. "…Because."

"I don't believe you." For the first time, her friendliness morphed into something like disgust. "Not everyone is lucky enough to get to stay with their parents, you know. If you have that chance, you should take it."

"No," Gray said. He walked away.

Erza didn't raise the subject until weeks after he found her crying at the river.

"I heard from Cana that you ran away from home," she said.

Gray huffed out a breath. Cana knew better than to bring that up, and they had achieved their own sort of friendship by not poking their noses into each other's private business. Wonderful.

"Yes," he said shortly.

Erza stayed quiet for a long time as they walked down the street, fingering her eyepatch idly. Gray waited for the inevitable questions of _why_. Why did he run away? Why didn't he go back? What had happened? Were his parents that cruel? But after a long silence, she asked something else instead.

"Do you miss them?"

Gray stopped right in his tracks and stared at her. A dangerous lump formed in the back of his throat. "Yes," he whispered before he thought better of it.

"Will you go back, do you think?"

"No," he said immediately.

Erza pondered that for a moment, then, "Do you _want_ to go back?"

Gray opened his mouth, closed it, looked away. "I… I don't know."

He wanted to go back to his parents, but they were dead and he was afraid to go back to the place that had been his home. He wanted to go back to them, but they weren't there to go back to.

"Well–"

"It doesn't matter!" Gray burst out, cutting her off. "I don't care!"

Erza tilted her head. "If you don't care, then why are you crying?"

He lifted his hand to his face. His fingers came away wet.

Erza never brought the subject up again, and he was grateful for it.

Natsu was the only one who made Gray bring it up himself, but it got so _tiring_ always listening to him brag about his dragon father and talk about searching for him.

"There are no more dragons," Gray said crossly one day when Natsu was regaling them all with tales of his father's exploits again. "Everyone knows that."

The easiest way to make the happy-go-lucky kid angry was to say something negative about dragons.

"There are so! I'm going to find Igneel and prove it to you!"

Gray rolled his eyes. "Stop exaggerating. Your parents don't have to be dragons to be cool. My parents are just as great as yours, and I don't have to pretend they're dragons."

Natsu scowled. "Oh yeah? And where are your parents, then? I've never seen them. Maybe _they're_ imaginary."

"I ran away from home," Gray said, the excuse coming second nature to him by now.

Natsu stared. "If they're so great, why'd you run away?"

"Because."

"Why would you ever want to run away from your family? I bet your parents miss you tons, just like I miss Igneel. Family shouldn't run away from each other."

Something constricted in Gray's chest, and he spun away. "They don't care," he said flatly as he stormed out of the guild. They couldn't, not anymore.

He could feel everyone's eyes on his back as he left. No one ever dared bring the subject up with him again, as if there was a tacit understanding that something was not right there and it was best to respect his wishes and not open scars. So Gray eventually decided to believe Natsu and helped him search for his dragon father—because the kid might be annoying, but he was right about it being horrible to be separated from your family—but Gray's own family was strictly off limits.

That silence lasted for years, right up until Lucy joined the guild. She didn't know all the rules yet, and was plenty happy to talk and talk while trying to make friends and fit in. She was sitting with Natsu and Happy of course, while Gray sat with them out of curiosity and even Erza drifted over.

She had clearly heard a lot about Igneel already, and Natsu's stories prompted her to then turn to Gray with a smile and ask about his family.

"Do your parents live around here?" she asked.

Everyone else around the table stilled and exchanged looks. Lucy didn't seem to notice the sudden air of awkwardness and tension.

Gray let out a breath through his nose. He didn't necessarily want to talk about this, but he wasn't as immature now as he had been as a child, either.

"No," he said. "They're pretty far away."

"Oh, that's too bad! Do you visit often?"

Gray could almost feel his gaze unfocus as his mind drifted along to memories he had long since buried. "No," he said absently. "I ran away from home when I was young. I haven't gone back."

"Oh." A stricken look passed over Lucy's face as she finally realized that she had stepped on a landmine. "That's horrible! Were your parents…?"

He shook his head. "They're wonderful. My mom is really sweet, and I always really admired my dad. They love me. I love them."

Lucy's face creased in a frown. "Then…why did you leave?"

His smile was bittersweet. "Because."

"Do you think you'll ever go back to visit?"

Gray tilted his head and a thoughtful frown tugged at his lips. "I don't know. Maybe someday."

"Oh. Well… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry."

"It's okay," he said kindly. "But just so you know, families are sort of off limits around here unless someone brings them up first."

Lucy glanced about the table uncertainly, and the other mages nodded. They looked relieved that Gray had handled the issue better than as a child, and even more so when he changed the subject.

Still, Lucy's questions lingered in his mind. Would he ever go back? He didn't know.

* * *

"I found us a job," Erza said.

Gray blinked at her and then followed her gaze back to himself and Natsu and Happy and Lucy. This was unexpected. They usually went solo, and he wondered if something had changed when they had teamed up to stop Erigor and Lullaby. He wondered if that would be a good thing. He wasn't sure if he was ready to be part of a team.

He also wasn't the only one who was surprised, but after a few minutes of confusion, everyone agreed. Erza usually got what she wanted.

"Yetis?" Natsu asked, peering over her shoulder to frown at the job request. "What the hell is a yeti?"

"Frost giant," Gray grunted. "In some of the arctic places to the north and east, people also call them yetis. I guess it's a regional thing."

Lucy smiled. "I guess it makes sense that you know about cold things."

"Ice princess," Natsu added with a snicker.

Gray's eye twitched.

"But Isvan isn't even in Fiore!" Happy said loudly, eyes skimming over the page.

Gray froze. Isvan?

Erza nodded. "It must be a pretty tough job to hunt down and catch these yetis if it's even getting posted down here. Anyway, I've never been, so I thought it would be fun to see a new place."

"No!" Natsu wailed. "It's going to be all _cold_! And a long train ride!"

"Calm down. You have fire, don't you? And you'll have to take a train no matter where we go."

"But–"

"No," Gray said.

Erza frowned. "I thought you'd like a job in the snow."

"No. I won't go."

Which, of course, started up a grating cacophony of arguments. It was only when Erza finally told him that she wouldn't make him come on the job if he really didn't want to, with those puzzled, pained eyes of hers, that Gray relented. If something had changed, if this was the start of something new, he didn't want to ruin it because of memories. He still wasn't sure if he was ready for a team, but…he didn't want to ruin that chance, either.

Anyway, Lucy had told him he should visit, right? If nothing else, he should visit his homeland one last time.

The thought terrified him. Made a sick, rotten feeling ball up in the pit of his stomach.

Still, he missed his old home, his old family. Families. He missed the snow and the past and the ice-cold, knife-sharp memories. He was too afraid to go back, but he was too heartsick to stay away.

"Are you sure?" Erza was startled by the sudden change of heart. "If it's that big of a deal, we can just–"

"No, no." Gray's smile was ice-cold, knife-sharp, but he managed to melt its corners and soften its edges after a moment. "It's fine. Let's go."

.

Gray followed behind the team, quiet as they chattered about their great success in finding and capturing the mysterious yeti. They were going home, and yet…and yet…

"Can we…? Can we make a detour?"

And yet Gray couldn't go home without visiting his old home one last time.

Everyone stopped right in the middle of the street, just outside the train station, and stared at him. He could feel their eyes on him even though his head was bowed, eyes tracing over the gray cobblestones and dark hair curtaining the desolation on his face.

"But it's _cold_ ," Natsu complained. "I wanna get out of here."

"You don't have to come," Gray said softly. "I'll catch up to you."

But when he turned and walked away, his friends exchanged looks and followed him even when he refused to answer their questions. He didn't know why he had as good as invited them. It wasn't like he wanted them to know about his past. Maybe it was just that he was too much of a coward to go alone.

His hometown wasn't far. In fact, they walked there in just under an hour. The snow lay in serene blankets over the ground. It was beautiful, pristine, and…dead. The only life was marked by the trail of footsteps they left behind. Ahead, nothing.

Someone sucked in a sharp breath when the broken city rose up from the cold, blank snow ahead of them like a maw of old, cracked teeth. The desolation stood in stark contrast to the beauty of the snow around it.

"What happened?" Lucy asked shrilly. "We should get help and–"

"There's no one left to help here," Gray said. He plodded along mercilessly, hands shoved into his pockets. "The city was destroyed a decade ago. I guess they never rebuilt it." His eye caught on a wide field of stones and markers and crosses sticking up from the snow in neat rows as they crested a ridge. "I guess there was no one left to."

At least someone—friends and family of the deceased, probably—had left a memorial. Maybe they had dug out the bodies and buried them, like Gray should have. Maybe if he had ever come back, he would have known.

The acute horror hanging over his friends faded into something with duller edges. It wasn't hard to see that this was a tragedy from another era and not a recent one, once they calmed down a little and really looked.

Gray skirted around the edge of the ruined city, past the silent graveyard. He remembered where his own memorial had been erected, but he didn't know if it still existed. It had been so long, and he had made it only of wood that would have rotted with age.

"What happened here?" Erza asked. Her voice shook.

"Ten years ago, a demon came through," Gray said. His voice didn't waver. "It destroyed the city and killed everyone."

" _Everyone?_ " Happy squeaked, eyes wide as he surveyed the rows of gravestones.

Gray smiled, bittersweet, one corner of his mouth twitching into a melancholy curve. "Everyone but me."

" _Y-you?_ "

His memorial, a child's construction of rough wood and twine sloppily affixed as a cross, was outside the city past the graveyard. And buried somewhere underneath a spotless blanket of snow. He swept his gaze across that formless blanket and sighed.

"I suppose it would be pointless to dig everything up to see what's left." His hands danced through the air, and this time the memorial was of a prodigal son come home, all crystal and glittering ice formed into a delicate cross. The bittersweet smile returned. "Hey," he breathed. "Sorry it took me so long to come back and visit. But I think you'd like the home I found and the idiot family I dragged with me."

There was a long moment of silence, broken only by the mournful whistle of the wind. He didn't even try to discern what his friends were thinking. He still didn't know why he was showing them this piece of his shattered past. Maybe only because this job was the closest he had come to home in a decade and because he was still too much of a coward to come alone.

He might regret it later, but he couldn't bring himself to care right now. He wasn't going to tell them his great shame with Ur and Lyon, of course, but maybe it felt a little bit good to clear up one of those mysteries that he had always kept to himself and used as a means of keeping his friends out.

"Your parents?" Lucy ventured. "But you said–"

"I only told one lie." Gray finally tore his gaze away from the shimmering ice and turned to walk back the way he had come. It was hard to walk away, but maybe there was a tiny sense of closure too. Like a quiet sort of goodbye that he had never been able to bring himself to say before. He didn't meet anyone's eyes as he pushed past them. "I did run away from home after the demon destroyed it. They are pretty far away. They were wonderful, and I do miss them. I never intended to come back, and I still don't know if I really wanted to or not.

"The only lie was that I always talked about them in the present tense, instead of leaving them behind in the past."

He could already sense the gears turning in Natsu's head, Happy's indecision, the girls' overflowing desire to say or do something to make things right. In a few moments, they would ask questions or talk or try to comfort him. He would talk little and answer even fewer questions, but he would appreciate their concern nonetheless and hope that revealing this piece of himself would work out in the end.

But for now, in this moment between, he just drew a breath of crisp, cold air into his lungs and let it out in a misty cloud. He wondered.

That might have been the most damaging lie of all. He had always talked in the present but lived in the past. Maybe he had chained himself to the past by pretending—lying to himself on some level—that death wasn't as permanent as he knew it was. A delusion to keep some piece of his family alive in his thoughts.

He did want to keep their memory alive, but not like that. The past was not going to let him go any time soon. He had not come to terms with his parents' deaths, and especially not Ur's.

But for now he was going to shelve his present-tense stories and lies and wishes about the past, if only because he had gotten mixed up somewhere along the way. It was time to put the past back in the past where it belonged, so that he could live in the present and look to the future.

He didn't think he would ever come here again, so he whispered his goodbyes to the wind and walked back towards his future, leaving the past buried in the snow behind him.

* * *

 **Note: Lol I don't even know what exactly made me want to write this way back when. Must've been in some kind of mood X)**

 **emmahoshi: Lol Grammar is important, kiddos. Next lesson: the importance of serial commas. Yeah, sorry, that was a little beyond the scope of this. I already wrote a lot of conversations with teammates trying to talk to Gray about his past (mooostly Natsu and Lyon, but still), so I took a slightly different angle this time. And it was supposed to be a short thing instead of turning into this big old story. But there's some room for imagination to wonder how it might go :) Thanks for R &Ring, hope you've been well :)**


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